


Beaten Blue

by Sorentia



Series: Sunnydale Mutations [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, DC Universe Online, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:11:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorentia/pseuds/Sorentia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Xander has stood up to a powerful vampire and survived but finds his friends less than supportive.  Feeling ostracized by the only family he knows Xander must find his way and learn why he is the heart of his friends.</p>
<p>This is a tale of one hero's journey on a path that will lead him from defend-ee to defender.  For it is not strength or wit alone that forges a hero.  It is hope.</p>
<p>Story Begins after the events of Chapter 15 of Lost and Discovered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the beginning of Xander's growth into his own place within the new supergroup you have learned a little about in Lost and Discovered. Make no mistake, I do view Xander as a hero, warts and all. However, when surrounded by such powerful women as he is in this series, Xander too must grow stronger or be left behind. This is my take on one of the possible paths that somewhere in some alternate universe in which a mutant Buffy and Willow exist Xander finds a way to stand with them as an equal.

**Chapter 1**

 

Xander lay in the hospital bed drifting on a sea of pain killer induced euphoria. His hand had suffered five distinct breaks and three fractures during his battle with Kakistos. One shoulder had been dislocated and he had gained a concussion as well when he had been slammed into the side of a building for his troubles. All in all the battle damage was minor in light of destroying a vampire that was over two thousand years old.

 

He had maintained that conviction throughout his doctor's explanation of his injuries and the surgery that had been performed in order to save the use of his hand. The potential loss of 30 to 50 percent mobility with it was still a real danger, but to protect his girls and the world, he considered it a minor thing. That had lasted until his friends had come to visit.

 

Buffy had been subdued, the normally outgoing and talkative – if a little bossy – blonde barely looking at him without tears in her eyes. She had gently hugged him before quickly stepping out of his room. Faith had given him a curt nod before she turned and followed after her. Seeing her tore up over his injuries rekindled a little bit of the hope that he had that she might one day look at him as more than just a friend.

 

When he turned his eyes to Willow, Xander nearly choked in surprise. His gentle, shy redheaded friend looked nothing like herself as her eyes bore into him. He could see the anger in them as well as damn near taste the palpable fury she was radiating as she looked at him. Fear, concern, sadness; these were the emotions he expected to be confronted with from his longest living friend. Instead, she looked ready to gut him.

 

“How could you be so careless?” Willow asked, her voice straining beneath her enforced calm tones. Xander tried to make sense of the question but couldn't. When he didn't answer Willow began to elaborate, “You had backup that could stand up against something like that dummy vampire, Xander. Yet, instead of calling for help, which let me tell you Annalyse would have heard, you decide to take him on on your own. Hell, if you had screamed when he first showed up, I would have heard you!”

 

Willow sighed and shook her head. “But no, you had to go and be a guy! Why didn't you just call for help?”

 

Xander struggled to focus through the blur that the pain meds – morphine? - had made of his head. “Annalyse was chasing some vamps that ran Giles over with a van. And how would I have known you were close enough to hear me, Wills? I thought I was on my own, so I did what I had ta,” he finally managed to get out as an explanation.

 

Annalyse raised an eyebrow and seemed to have a contemplative look in her eyes. Willow, however, huffed, her anger barely abating.

 

“Do you know what you've done, Xander?” Willow asked tersely.

 

Xander looked at her, his confusion flowing onto his features as he tried to figure out what was so bad about dusting this vamp. Sure he got hurt, but that was a risk they all took. “I dusted a vamp. What's so bad about that?” As he lay thinking it over the barest hints of his own anger started to rise up inside him. “Unless that's the problem? What, is little Miss high and mighty pissed because I stole her thunder?”

 

Willow's shock at the accusation was readily noticeable as she glared towards Xander. “What? No! Damn it, you stupid, stupid guy type person you! You just proved to Buffy that having you anywhere near a fight is going to cost her, cost us, you!”

 

The first tear since she had arrived started to form in Willow's eye. She abruptly wiped it away before turning for the door. She stopped as she opened it, glancing back over her shoulder at him. The momentary fear that had welled up just a moment ago was gone, once more replaced by her anger. “Buffy was right, you know. Back when we were planning this thing. You have no business out there fighting on the front lines. You're just going to get yourself killed one of these days.”

 

Willow fled from the room leaving Xander to lay in silence while Annalyse simply watched him. Her presence was nerve wracking and possibly dulling the pleasant numbness the pain meds had given him. After a full minute of being under her considerable gaze, he finally fidgeted, giving up his attempts to stay still.

 

“You have anything to add or are you just going to stare at the loser?” Xander sullenly asked.

 

“They are right, you know,” Annalyse answered calmly. “You have no training. You have no powers. You have nothing to contribute to a battle other than being a liability... at present. And even when you had backup available you refused to call upon it. So either you have a death wish, are too arrogant to ask for help, or are just plain stupid.”

 

Xander stared openly at his Kryptonian visitor for several pounding beats of his heart before he managed to regain any semblance of composure. When he did his anger flared again, his eyes narrowing as he answered her accusation. “How dare you! This is my home and I have as much a right to fight for it as any of you do! More of a right than you do! Where do you get off telling me I shouldn't fight?”

 

A flash of anger mixed with a deeper disappointment crossed her features before they smoothed back out to a calm expression but Xander missed the brief show of emotion in his anger. Turning away from Xander, Annalyse made for the door, speaking as she moved, “If that is what you choose to hear, then you are dumber than anyone has given you credit for, Xander Harris. You will not put my team at risk again.”

 

Once she left the room Xander closed his eyes, trying to absolve himself of his anger. He was furious that anyone would question his worth or value. He had enough of that at home. He could almost expect it coming from Buffy, she was always over protective of him and Willow – 'Just you now,' a small voice reminded him – so it was to be expected. He could have dealt with that, the blonde seemed to have a martyr complex, after all. But to hear it from first Willow then someone who was still a virtual stranger among them had torn at his self-identity.

 

The nearly silent click of the machine that dispensed his pain meds was the last thing he was aware of as he drifted off into a drug induced slumber.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I want to thank Chadmaako for being my Beta for this growing universe and MeJA for helping me fine tune ideas before I ever sit down to type a word. Without their help this series would never have gotten as far as it has.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own in part or total Buffy the Vampire Slayer or associated characters or concepts. The same is true of Marvel Comics and DCUO. Each is owned by their respective copy write holders. I only play in their sandbox.


	2. Shaken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again to my Beta, Chadmaako. Without your help and insight this story would not be what it is. Also thanks go to MeJA, my brainstorming partner. We hammer out a lot of ideas some of which may never see the light of day. Still, what does get used wouldn't have gotten there without your help.

Xander absently glanced at the phone in his basement room as he pulled on his shoes. It had been five days since the night Faith burst into Giles' hospital room with a message of doom. The still unbreathing Kakistos had somehow managed to lure Buffy and Willow to him while Faith and Annalyse had narrowly escaped being blown to pieces. Xander's heroic stand against the ancient vampire had been fraudulent and his friends were the ones to pay the price.

None of them had said such to him and deep down he knew they wouldn't, didn't blame him for the trap the vampire had laid out for them. Then again, none of them had said anything to him since Faith had left Giles' apartment once Annalyse had called to pass on the news that Kakistos was truly dust this time around. He had tried calling Willow's home to no avail and he didn't have a number for Annalyse or Faith. 

Shoes on and tied, he stood to head upstairs and out of the house. He had spent more time in it the last few days than he had since meeting Willow in kindergarten and it was getting to him. He paused next to the phone, staring at it as if it held the answers rumbling around in his mind. For a moment he thought about picking it up and dialing the one number he hadn't even tried. The urge passed quickly, though. She hadn't even said anything to him when he was in the hospital. That seemed to make things pretty damn clear where he stood with his blonde friend.

Grabbing his wallet he walked out of his room intent on finding something to distract him from his troubles.

(***)

Comic Shop was an unassuming place for downtown. From it's generic name to the plain undecorated store front it almost screamed 'don't notice me'. Xander and Jesse had found it while still in middle school shortly after it had opened and took to it quickly. The owners were a pair of brothers and seemed to take a special interest in everyone that came into their store. Back in the pre-Buffy era, he and Jesse would spend hours in their rather extensive horror section reading tales of monsters stitched together from cadavers and vampires terrorizing an unknowing populace. Since he had learned the truth of Sunnydale's nightlife Xander had tacitly ignored that portion of the store.

As he opened the door the familiar bell chimed drawing the attention of Alan, the brother on duty behind the register. He gave Xander a look over then nodded to him before turning back to his discussion with one of the store's patrons. Xander returned the nod with one of his own and headed over to the Classic's section. Every last comic in this section was in their own plastic sleeves with price tags well beyond what Xander could afford. Amongst them were the original Captain America comics printed during World War II alongside Turok and Wendy the Witch. Not a single one of the comics were printed after 1960. He'd never be able to afford even the cheapest of them but that wasn't the point of his stroll through the section. They represented the history of comics, something he loved.

Besides, something had been nagging him ever since Annalyse had come to this world. It was in the back of his head, whispering constantly that he should know her. He was sure he would have figured it out by now but the crisis with Kakistos and then his own injury had distracted him. The last few days away from his friends had at least been good for thinking and he had narrowed down where if not what he had seen the thing nibbling at the back of his mind. Carefully he looked through the various sleeved comics hoping to find that elusive clue that would spark his memory.

It was almost 30 minutes later when Xander suddenly felt his chest tighten and all the air blow out of his lungs at once. It felt like Buffy had just socked him in the gut as he stared at his prize. It was thin, he couldn't even be sure that it was a clue. Yet, it felt right to him. As right as when he decided he had to help Buffy in her nightly battles with the undead. This was the thing that had been bugging him.

Show Case #22

He had read it once when it first came into the shop. Alice, the daughter of the second brother, had found it among a collection of other comics her dad and uncle had gotten from an estate sale. While it was old and valuable she had managed to talk her uncle into letting her read it and had promptly sat down at one of the tables often used for gaming. He and Jesse, drawn by the excited Alice had quickly joined her and the three spent the afternoon going over the old comic in minute detail.

Now staring at it in its rack, memories of the story held within its pages returned. A man given a ring by a dying alien for the protection of Earth and the surrounding space. A ring capable of creating constructs of solid light formed by the users will. The only thing that didn't fit was the different color. The ring in the comic was green, not pink.

Xander found his contemplations interrupted when he heard a familiar voice carry through the story. “This is it! With this we will finally ascend to our rightful place within the universe,” the voice cried out.

A much quieter, “Andrew, keep it down,” quickly followed causing Xander to shake his head. Jonathan and Andrew were part of the geek click at school and for a few years Jesse and himself had associated with them. At least until Andrew's more erratic personality traits drove a wedge between them. They had only been able to stand to be around a guy that believed the force was strong in himself and constantly tried to use Jedi mind tricks to get his way for so long. It hadn't been a bad split between them, he and Jesse had just stopped hanging out with them when Willow wasn't around, instead of keeping to themselves.

“But Jonathan,” Xander heard Andrew whine, “with this our plan will be complete. All we need to do is perform the ritual.”

Immediately Xander found what good humor he had found listening to his fellow geeks evaporate. Ritual and Sunnydale was something he had learned to dread and just because he doubted the two geeks could actually pull off something world ending it didn't mean he would ignore it. The twinge in his gut was enough of a reminder that assuming it would be okay was just asking for the bad guys to do something stupid.

“Alright, just be quiet. We'll go pay for the ring and get back to Warren, he should have everything set up by now,” Jonathan said quiet enough that Xander just barely heard the hurried whisper.

Watching as his two fellow teens headed to the counter to pay for whatever it was that had gotten Andrew so excited he put the comic back on its rack. As the two paid he tried to catch a glimpse of what they had bought to no avail. It was paid for and in a plain brown paper bag before he could catch even a hint. Whatever it was, was small judging by the size of the bag.

As the two hurried out of the store Xander gave Alan another nod which was returned and he moved to follow the two out of the store, hoping that the twinge in his gut was wrong.

(***)

As Xander walked out the door with a purpose in his stride he hadn't had when he entered Alan shook his head. Turning back to the door leading into the small storage area of the store he shouted for his brother, “Edgar, can a plastic ring end the world?”

A moment and some cursing later and Alan was joined by his brother, “Not that I know of, why?” He asked.

“Couple of our regulars, Andrew and Jonathan, just bought one. It was one of those plastic rings they had in Cracker Jack boxes back in the 60's. Something to do with one of the comics from back then. Xander headed out of here following them like a man on a mission.”

Edgar furrowed his brows as he thought through the matter before shaking his head. “Don't see how a plastic ring could end the world. But if Xander is interested...” he said trailing off.

Alan nodded as he moved to flip the sign from open to closed, “Be sure to let Alice know. Last time that group was all riled up she almost walked right into that vamps mansion 'cause she didn't stay in.”

Edgar gave a short barking laugh and nodded, “Won't be long till she's old enough to hunt and you'll have to stop playing overprotective uncle,” he told his sibling.

“Wasn't me who decided we should retire, though, was it, Edgar?” was the response he got as he headed back to the stairs that led to their apartment above the store.

“No... no, it wasn't,” Edgar muttered as he looked down at the single piece of jewelry he wore. A simple gold band.

Shaking off the memories, Edgar Frog retired Vampire Hunter headed for the stairs calling out to his daughter, “Alice, Code Blue, we're in for the night.”

A girlish shriek of frustration from his daughter echoed down the stairwell causing Edgar to smile a little bit.

“What did Xander do now?” he heard his daughter shout angrily.

(***)

Xander kept back a fair distance from the oblivious duo as he followed them through Sunnydale. Everything that he knew about Jonathan and Andrew told him he didn't need to take any precautions while following them but he did anyway. Everything he knew about them said they wouldn't have the brains or ability to come up with anything he should be worried about, but here he was following them back to where ever they were meeting up with Warren. The whole thing should be amusing to him and it would have been in the pre-Buffy era. Knowing the town sat on the literal Mouth of Hell, however, had sapped the amusement out of situations like this.

As he passed the third payphone since leaving Comic Shop he once again regretted not having any change on him. For a brief moment, he tossed around the idea of going to find Willow or Buffy before dismissing the thought. Not out of pride, though he could admit to himself there was some measure of that at work, but because if he stopped to go and gather reinforcements he would miss out on finding out where they were going. At the very least they would need to know that to do anything about what they were planning.

With a sigh, he moved to keep the inept idiots in his sight and trudged on. Once he knew where they were going he could figure it out. Until then, intelligence was key. No one could do anything if they vanished and time spent looking for them could mean the difference between having a world and not.

Thankfully it wasn't much longer until he watched them walk up to a small two story house in one of the many middle-class neighborhoods in Sunnydale. They knocked on the door before it was abruptly opened and the pair were promptly drug inside, presumably by Warren. Standing on the sidewalk Xander bit his lip. He had the intel, he knew where they were. He could walk away and go let Giles, Buffy, or Willow know and they could all ride to the rescue and stop whatever the three geeks were cooking up.

'If they are cooking up something at all,' his mind unhelpfully reminded him.

Xander could almost picture going back to the group and insisting that three geeks were going to end the world with a purchase from Comic Shop. Buffy would stare at him dumbfounded. Willow would giggle at his paranoia. And Giles would tut after asking what it was they had bought that he was so sure would end the world.

Deciding his fact-finding trip wasn't quite over, Xander headed down the street towards the house.

Stopping in front of it, Xander noted that all the blinds on the first and second floors were closed. The backyard was surrounded by a white privacy fence that looked too tall to try climbing over unassisted unless he wanted to make a lot of noise. Thankfully the gate leading into the backyard was blatantly open. Taking that as a sign Xander headed to it without pausing deciding it was best to look like he belonged there in case anyone was watching him from another house. The last thing he needed was for one of the neighbors to call the cops on him. A call from jail to Giles to bail him out would be even worse than his imagined report.

First glance at the house from behind soured Xander's hopes of finding out what was going on. The windows were all covered by closed blinds blocking him from seeing into the house. As he was about to give up and go find his friends to let them know what was going on the sound of metal grinding against metal startled him. Following the noise, he saw one of the basement windows being pulled open from the inside.

“Damn it, Andrew! That shit stinks! Are you certain we need that crap for the ritual?”

Xander grimaced, identifying the speaker as Warren Mears in his mind. Xander had avoided associating with the geek at school for as long as he could remember. He was a brain like Willow but unlike his redheaded friend he relished rubbing his intelligence in the face of anyone he could find. He had the personality of a toad and the social skills of an angry Chihuahua.

“Sorry, Warren. It says we need it right here on page 127. It lists some alternatives but most of them are illegal or really toxic when burned,” Andrew replied in his usual almost whine.

“Fine,” Warren muttered. “John-o, you are sure you altered the ritual so it won't effect anything beyond what is here in the basement?”

“Yes, Warren,” Jonathan tiredly replied. “The only things that will be affected by the spell is the ring and whoever is wearing it. Which I suppose will be you.”

Something sparked in Xander's memory for the second time that day. Spells and people wearing things, it was on the tip of his tongue, or the edge of his thoughts, whichever would be closer to him figuring out what the hell these three were playing at.

“Damn right it’ll be me,” Warren said. “You and Andrew have to do the ritual, so it's not like either of you can be the one in the circle is it?”

Jonathan let out an audible sigh. Xander could picture him shaking his head, “No it can't, Warren. Speaking of, are you ready?”

“Don't rush me,” Warren snapped. “I still can't believe Rayne never thought of this. Instead, he used it for some stupid prank. He could have ruled the world. It is a good thing my foresight and planning made sure his book there fell into our hands.”

At the mention of Rayne, Xander's eyes shot open wide and his brain locked up, only one thought repeating over and over again, 'They're going to use the Holloween spell! They're going to do it now! Oh, crap crap crap.' By the time he managed to re-engage himself he could hear the rhythmic chanting of spellcasting drifting out of the basement.

Not bothering to stay silent he rushed to the back door cursing loudly as he went. His shoulder slam into it wasn't needed as it easily opened spilling him into the Mears' household. Spotting a door barely five feet past the one he had barged through, Xander raced for it. Opening it he started down the stairs, tripping as he went and spilling into a heap at the bottom.

He was just in time to see the spell completed and a white flash overtake Warren Mears. As the flash subsided Xander, Jonathan, and Andrew all found themselves gaping at the figure that now stood in the center of the circle. Xander faintly noted Andrew jibbering, "Not the right color," repeatedly.

Warren Mears smiled behind his black mask and raised his right hand on which now resided a glowing orange ring.

"This power is mine, this is my light.  
Be it in bright of day or black of night.  
I lay claim to all that falls within my sight,   
To take what I want... That is my right!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Lost Boys nor the character of Alice Frog. The Frog Brothers are owned by Warner Bros. I think. Alice is the creation of Chadmaako and used with permission. If you wish to see the original form of Alice check out Alexia the Vampire Hunter and watch for Neo Night.
> 
> As usual I own nothing from the Marvel, DC, or any comic mentioned herein. This includes Wendy the Witch, Turok the Hunter, and the Orange Lantern Oath.
> 
> For those interested, Show Case #22 was the first appearance of Hal Jordan as one of the newly rebooted Green Lanterns.


	3. Fractured

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again to Chadmaako, my beta, and MeJA, my brainstorming partner. Without their help Beaten Blue nor Lost and Discovered would have come this far.

Three mortals looked on in horror as a fourth started to laugh maniacally. Xander absently noticed that the orange motif extended beyond the ring and to the body suit Mears now wore. While tight, in all the wrong places as far as Xander was concerned, he was thankful that it didn't appear to be as revealing as Annalyse's, though the basic pattern was similar. Black boots, gloves, and mask with a solid orange bodysuit that covered Mears' legs, arms, and chest. The neckline was high, rising up to cover his throat and stopping about 3/4ths of the way up his neck.

'Wonder if that would stop a vampire,' wandered through Xander's mind as he levered himself up off the floor where he had landed after falling down the stairs.

“Oh, this feels good,” Warren said with a drunken giggle. “So much power and knowledge. Oh boy. It's amazing!” Warren looked over to Andrew and Jonathan and smiled broadly, “Minions, you have pleased your Master,” he said and Xander could hear the capitalization on 'Master' in Mears tone. “But could one of you answer a question for me?” He asked in a sweet sounding manner.

“Uh... um... uh...,” was all Andrew could stammer out in response as he stared at his friend. Xander shook his head, imagining the little bit of drool that was likely trailing down the geek's chin.

Rolling his eyes Jonathan didn't seem to be quite as affected. Surprised, but he wasn't the jibbering wreck that Andrew had fallen into. “Yeah, I think we shoulda checked the spell for artificial ego inflation as a side effect,” he muttered before answering Warren. “What do you want, Warren?”

Warren's smile went from exhaulted to predatory as he drew his lips back, “Could one of you tell me who let in Xander Fucking Harris?!” He asked as his voice slowly rose into a shout.

Both Andrew and Jonathan turned to look back at Xander and blinked. Smiling he gave them a friendly wave then looked up at Warren and shook his head, “Seriously, I knew you had socialization issues but calling the only people who can stomach you ‘minion’ isn't going to win you any brownie points, Warren.” Xander could feel the fear trying to knot up in his stomach as he spoke. He had some idea on what that ring on Warren's hand could do, though not a clue if it being yet another color would mean anything was different from Annalyse's. He had to keep him talking until he could come up with some brilliant last minute plan.

“What else should I call them then, Harris,” Warren answered, spitting out Xander's last name with distaste. “They didn't have the brains to think of this on their own. If it wasn't for me directing them, telling them what to do step by step, they would never have conceived of such a grand design as the one I have put into motion! They are not even worthy of the title Henchman!”

If it wasn't for the fact he knew he had stepped into it deep, Xander might have found the flamboyance that Warren was speaking with amusing. His hands kept waving about as if he couldn't speak unless they were in motion. His voice swelled and fell with nearly every syllable. When he finally realized Warren was monologuing like an archetypical super villain he had to reign in the urge to start laughing.

“Yeah, okay, so you are the brains of the whole thing. Still, doesn't seem like such a great plan to me,” Xander answered as calmly as he could.

Warren's face screwed up in anger and confusion as he glared towards Xander. “Oh, great and magnificent idiot? Do tell, how is my grand design so flawed that even one of such low-born intelligence believes he might bring it to ruination?”

Shrugging, Xander replied simply, “I know how to end the spell.”

Warren's face immediately calmed, settling into a neutral facade other than a single questioning eyebrow that rose up Spock-like. “Really? You know how to end the spell?” He asked of Xander who gave a nod. “By breaking the Bust of Janus used as the spells focus, correct?” Xander again nodded as his smile grew seeing Warren work through the flaws in his own plan. “And since you are standing there and daring to smile at me, others must have this knowledge as well,” he said, his voice still calm and curious.

“Several,” Xander replied. “And they can get in touch with the Sorcerer whose spellbook you stole. I imagine he'd be keen to get it back,” he added as a bluff that he almost hoped was true.

Warren started to pace, one hand held behind his back while he stroked his chin with the other. Xander thought it was a very good attempt at Super Villain pose #8, but he lacked the goatee to really pull it off. This went on for several moments that Xander used to discreetly glance around the basement trying to find the Bust of Janus that would end this whole nightmare before it could truly begin when Warren stopped pacing and spun around holding a finger in the air. The pose was atypical of an 'ah ha' moment in so many B-movies that Xander finally lost control and laughed at it.

“It has come to my realization that your entire theory as to the flawed nature of my plan is in itself flawed,” Warren said, the predatory smile slowly retaking its place on his face. “First it is posited on the idea that you know what was used as the focus of the spell. A Bust of Janus in this case. I can tell you tacitly that this is untrue. There is no Bust of Janus for you to break and end the spell.”

The fear in Xander's gut started to do a jig then bounce its way up to his heart. “Well, then they will just use magic to find what you used as the focus and break that, easy peasy,” Xander said trying to stay as calm as he could.

Warren nodded in agreement then took a few steps towards Xander, that eerie and creep-tastic smile still on his lips. “True, true. I'll do you one better though and show you the focus,” he said then lifted his hand in the air between them.

Xander was confused for less time than was usual according to those that knew him. “The ring...,” he stammered out.

“Correct, Harris, the ring was the focus. And that is where your theory fails for the second time. This ring is now virtually indestructible. Even your little blonde freak Buffy can't break it, whore, that she is.”

The next thing Xander knew Warren was on the floor holding his chin and his hand hurt like hell.

“Oh, you shouldn't have done that, Harris. You were starting to show some real promise. I was going to offer you the spot to be my third minion. Now, though, oh, you just signed your death certificate.”

Xander barely saw the giant glowing orange fist form before it slammed into him, driving him up and through the floor boards above him and out of the basement. Before he could come back through the hole the fist opened up to a flat hand and slapped him out through a window and into the backyard. Hitting the ground at speed, Xander could feel muscle tearing and bones screaming as they broke. His cast had shattered with the second hit and his already mangled hand lit up his already overloaded nerves with pain. Just two blows and he was worse off than he was against the uber-vamp from the other day. Sure he had been injured to start with here, but he knew when he was outmatched beyond any hope. He couldn't even think straight long enough to come up with some ingenious plan to save his own neck.

“I bet you are regretting hitting me now, Harris,” he vaguely heard Warren's taunting voice. “You could have been such a fabulous little minion, peon that you are. Always following those stupid bitches around. I was going to offer you a chance to serve a man, instead! But no, you just had to hit me. Well, I don't,” Xander felt something slam into him from above, “like,” another slam forced what little breath he had sucked in out of his lungs, “being,” this time his head jerked back as if a golf club had just tried to tee off with it as the ball, “hit!” The last was accented by a kick to Xander's gut ensuring any ribs that hadn't been broken were.

“See you around, Harris. I have a city to conquer,” Warren pronounced to the broken heap that was Xander Harris.

“Buffy... will... stop you,” Xander managed to push past his bleeding lips before his world faded to black.

(***)

The world was black.

Not as in he was unconscious, though Xander was pretty sure that was the case. Everywhere he could see was a solid uniform black except for himself. He could see his arms, legs, and body just find and they were in full color. Brighter even than normal if the loud Hawaiian shirt he wore was any indication. The blues, reds, greens, oranges, yellows, and purples seemed to almost glow in the solid black of where ever it was that he had found himself after being beaten unconscious.

“Okay, so the first thing to figure out, am I just unconscious or am I dead?” Xander asked aloud.

“Oh, you aren't dead. Not yet, anyways,” came the unexpected answer.

Xander jumped at hearing the multi-toned voice behind him and spun around. His hands came up in as close of an approximation of a boxing stance as he could manage, ready for a fight. What he found left him instead slack-jawed and his hands promptly down much lower and covering another part of his body.

She, and it was definitely she since she didn't seem to be wearing a stitch of clothing, was a rainbow of colors and a single solid color all at the same time. Her eyes were almond shaped and slightly slanted giving her a vague oriental appearance. Her lips, full and bow shaped were smiling slightly in amusement. Her body was full and round, thick where a teenaged mind said it should be and thin where it loudly claimed was also correct. Despite or perhaps even more so because of it, her color didn't detract from the erotic thoughts her form elicited in Xander's mind.

“Huh?” Was all Xander could manage to get out.

“You're not dead,” she said with a small giggle before getting serious again without losing her smile. “You will be, though, in about 30 seconds.”

Hearing this figment of his imagination – Xander was sure that was what she was – pronounce his death was mere seconds away squawked indignantly, “I'm going to die! No, no I can't die!”

“Why?”

The question was calm, asked with neither force or curiosity behind it. It was so flat that it was almost a statement and that was what drug Xander out of the hysteria that had started to build within him.

“Why? Why what? Why can't I die?” When the strange multi-colored woman simply nodded Xander stopped to think about it. Several minutes ticked by without him knowing it as he was lost in thought before finally answering, “Because I can't leave my friends.”

“Why?”

The same emotionless tone that wasn't matched by the smile she wore. Xander almost wanted to throttle the pretty woman before him for her seeming indifference to his plight. “They could die! Do you know what it is like fighting every night of your life?!” Xander shouted at her. “Never knowing if it will be the time the bad guys get lucky? Or that you won't be? Willow's always alone at home, all she has is me and Buffy! And Buffy's mom threw her out! I still can't believe she did that, her own mom. I always thought Mrs. Summers was the best mom you could have and she just threw Buffy away because she couldn't deal! If they lose me...”

“They might lose the will to fight,” the woman said calmly but with warmth and understanding this time. “Then you understand now?”

“They didn't want to lose me. It wasn't because they didn't want me, but because they were scared they couldn't live without me,” Xander said as the conversation at the hospital echoed back to him in his mind.

The woman nodded slowly, “Yes.”

“Still doesn't give them the right to say I can't fight,” Xander said, feeling that familiar anger well up inside of him. “It's not their choice, it's mine.”

Again the woman nodded, “Yes.”

Xander felt his anger blown out of him by this strange woman's simple calm acceptance of his words. His friends wanted him to be safe and they were not wrong for wanting that. Now he could even understand what Annalyse was saying a little better, even if she was lousy in how she said it. He didn't have training or power like the girls had and he could only do something about one of those. Understanding didn't make his anger at them go away, but it did temper it to the point that new possiblities opened up in his mind. First, he had to figure out how to survive, though.

“So who are you?” Xander suddenly asked as a thought came to his mind. “I mean, not that I don't mind the company in my last few seconds alive but why are you here? If I'm going to die it's not like you are here to train me in some mystic ninja type stuff that could keep me alive. So, why show up?”

The woman smiled more broadly, it finally reaching her eyes as she again nodded, “You are correct, I am not here to train you. I am here to make you an offer.”

“Okay... that gives me the why. Now how about the who? I've lived on the Hellmouth long enough not to take deals offered by some stranger, beautiful or not,” he told her as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Xander could almost swear he saw a faint blush on her multi/mono-colored cheeks for a moment as she answered him. “I have no name in this universe. What I am is the embodiment of all emotion. I draw power from and give power to all emotions in this multiverse. From the lowliest of the low to the highest of the high, if it can feel I am there.”

Xander gave a short nod as he wrapped his head around what she was saying. “So, you're some sort of universal concept. Like war or peace?”

“Something like that,” she said with a coy smile, “It will do for now. Understanding my nature is as elusive as understanding the nature of God.”

Xander blinked and tilted his head, “So there is a God? Like with a big G, not a little one?”

The woman took on a look of curiosity and thought before shrugging her shoulders, “I do not know. If such a being exists then it would be beyond even what I am. I am merely a part of the multiverse, not its creator.”

“Huh, go figure. Not even omnipotent cosmic entities know if there is a God,” Xander said with a laugh. “Okay so now I know who you are, at least as best I can in the few minutes we've known each other. And would you mind if I called you Emotion?” The newly named Emotion shook her head with a smile making Xander smile in return. He started to speak again then paused, a look of consternation flowing across his features. “Hey, it's been way longer than thirty seconds. Shouldn't I be dead already?”

Emotion shook her head as she spoke, “No, here there is no time. There is only emotion.”

“Huh, okay, but that isn't true because I'm here too,” Xander said with a grin causing Emotion to smile back at him. “So this offer you said you have, what is it,” Xander asked trying not to think too hard about what the lack of time might mean, how it was being done, or the incessant babble he knew Willow would have when – or should it be if? – she heard about it.

“Power,” Emotion answered.

The simple answer caused Xander to frown. Not that the idea of having power was bad in and of itself, but what sort of power and what would it cost him? “Way to vague it up there, Emotion. Think you could give me a little bit more detail?” He asked, only afterward wondering if it was bad to be snarky to a cosmic entity that represented emotion.

Seeming to not take offense, Emotion nodded slightly, “You are familiar with the rings of power,” she stated as seven rings appeared in the air between them. Each was a different color of the rainbow and held a different symbol. “You previously have seen the ring of your friend, Annalyse,” she continued as the violet ring grew slightly in size, “It is powered by the emotion of love. Today you faced an orange ring,” she said as the orange ring likewise grew in size, “powered by avarice or greed. This was not meant to happen and the imbalance risks fracturing our multiverse. I wish to grant you a ring to stand as a counterpoint to the avarice of the orange light.”

Xander looked at the rings lined up as they were. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Noting that Orange and Violet were already at the opposite ends, with violet being the furthest from center he started to think about balance. “So what, you want to give me a yellow ring to balance the equation or something? What emotion is yellow even stand for?”

“Yellow is fear,” Emotion answered him calmly. Before Xander could start to protest she continued her explanation, “but it is not the yellow light I wish you to hold, nor is that how this works. Emotions do not hold an intrinsic value that places any one of them higher or lower than the others. However, the rings draw from, and their wearers produce the emotion tied to them. I, in turn, am affected by this. To balance the orange light's avarice I must have a source of powerful positive emotion as well. This is why I have chosen you.”

Xander tilted his head still looking at the rings, “Okay, so this side,” he said pointing to the side that held red, orange, and yellow, “are the negative emotions, even though you said all are equal. This side,” he pointed to the ones on the opposite side of the green ring, “are the positive emotions. Am I right?” When Emotion nodded her acceptance of his explanation, Xander thought for a moment. “So if pink, violet, whatever is on the positive side, then why do you need me? Annalyse is already out there as a counterpoint, right?”

“This is where you are mistaken,” Emotion said sadly. “Your friend is not of this multiverse. Her ring draws power from and feeds power to the entity that is tied to love in her home multiverse. I have no ties to her ring at all. Warren Mears and his orange ring were created here, though, through the magic of this universe. It is bound to me. If I remain unbalanced, so eventually will all emotion everywhere be unbalanced. The end result...”

“No more multiverse, yeah, I get that. Okay, so this is me, Xander Harris, saving the world. Um, two questions. What does green stand for and what color do you want me to have? I'm big on love but not real big on pink.”

Emotion smiled and the green ring grew in size, “Green is willpower without emotion. It is what drives all things to live and do. Without willpower, there is only apathy. As to what ring would befit you, that you will have to discover for yourself, if you accept the power I am offering.”

Xander licked his lips looking at the seven lined up rings then back to Emotion, “So what, I get to choose which ring I like the best? Is there a difference?”

“Each ring has the same basic properties but also holds their own powers and weaknesses just as their own emotions do. As to the ring, you do not choose the ring, the ring must choose you.”

“Wait, must choose me? So I might not work for any of them? What about those three?” He asked as he pointed to the red, orange, and yellow rings. “I thought you didn't want me for one of them. Does that mean they can't choose me?”

Emotion's smile slipped into a frown, sadness, and regret filling her eyes, “No, they can choose you as well. If that should happen, I will be forced to find two others suitable and hope they will be a match for one of the three others. But you will be chosen if you accept the power, that much I know. You are a being of great emotions, capable of great rage, blinding fear, uncompromising compassion, and true love. I have no fear that you would be found wanting by any of the rings. The only question is which are you most suited for? Which will be drawn most strongly to you?”

Xander sucked in a breath and held it. Power, the power to defend his friends, to stand at their sides as they faced the darkness. A chance at having a longer life. Of having a future. That was what was being offered to him. He absently thought that even with that power he would have to train. He saw Annalyse with her ring. She wasn't the most inventive with it, forming weapons she could use hand to hand or occasionally using it to emit blasts of energy. He wasn't a fool and would bet that she could do more with it, it just wasn't her style to be overly showy with it. He had noticed how much she seemed to want to hide just what she could do.

He was also being offered a risk. Fear, avarice, and whatever red stood for could all choose him instead of something else. Xander knew well what fear could do, his mother stayed with his father out of fear. Heck, if he was honest with himself, Xander stayed in his parent's house out of fear as well. He had already seen greed at work, though he imagined it could get much much worse. He didn't even know what red was for sure but was guessing anger from the way the ring seemed to almost stare at him angrily. He'd seen anger in its purest forms already at the hands of his father. The kind of blind rage that tore at everything around you, friend or foe. He didn't want to be that kind of out of control monster ever. He hoped he could control it if he was chosen by the red ring, but he couldn't be sure.

It was also a 50/50 gamble. If he was chosen by any of the positive emotions, the universe would stay standing. If he was taken by one of the negative emotions, then things just got worse and Emotion had to do this all over again with two more people. If he refused and didn't do it at all, it was a guarantee that she would have to do so or existence would end.

“One question, before I give my answer. I am supposed to be the counterpart to Warren's orange ring. Will I be allowed to stop him?”

Emotion took on her thoughtful expression again before nodding with a smile, “If you are able to do so, then please do. You would need to contain his ring somehow to keep him separated from it. Your own ring has plans on how to build a device to do so, but it requires technology and materials not available on earth. I would recommend destroying it, but you will find such a proposition both difficult and dangerous.”

“Dangerous how?” Xander inquired.

“The destruction of a Power Ring releases all of its stored energy. Violently,” Emotion answered him.

“Ah, so big ball of not having a good day if it gets broke. Gotcha,” Xander stated with a small grimace.

Taking a deep breath and blowing it out Xander looked Emotion in her eyes and gave her a lopsided smile. “Emotion, it has been a pleasure meeting you. I accept your offer.”

“Very well, awaken and be healed,” Emotion answered and the world turned white.

(***)

Xander pushed himself to his feet, feeling his body healed and whole thanks to Emotion. He wasn't sure how long he had been out for, but the smoking remains of the house that he had found Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan in didn't look good for what had happened while he talked with his first Cosmic Entity. Xander looked up to the sky and he could see the faint telltale orange glow of the power ring that Warren wielded and was eager to give chase. First, there was something he had to do.

Holding out his hand and following the whispered instructions that his ring was feeding directly into his mind he reached into the extradimensional space that held his power battery. Withdrawing the lantern-shaped battery out of it, he held his ring up to it and spoke.

“In fearful day, In raging night  
With strong hearts full, my soul ignites  
When all seems lost in the war of light  
Look to the stars... For hope burns bright!”

“Xander Harris of Earth, Sector 0, Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps,” his ring spoke aloud to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that are Green Lantern fans, I know that in the DC Universe Sector 0 is Oa not Earth. However, as you saw in the story this is the birth of a wholly new Lantern Corps and is tied to the Oan based Corps only by the weapon they use, the Power Rings. Since Earth is where this new Corps was born, it is Sector 0. This was not a mistake but intentional.


	4. Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again to my Beta, Chadmaako.

Xander drew in a deep breath as he looked at the remains of what had once been a home. He was certain that only a few minutes had passed at most in the waking world while he spoke with Emotion. Yet the collapsed remains of the once humble abode seemed the work of high explosives or a wrecking ball. That such wanton destruction was done in mere moments sent a chill up Xander's spine.

“Ring, do you have sensors or something that can tell me where Warren is,” he asked as he watched the slowly fading orange light that denoted his target in the distance.

“Yes, Lantern Harris. I am fully capable of tracking other power rings as well as detecting life signs in general.”

Xander let a thin smile slip onto his face with a nod. “Good, so Star Trek sensors. Good to know. Are Andrew and Jonathon still in the house?”

A pale blue light stretched out in a vertical sheet that swept across the remains of the building. As it finished his ring again spoke, “There are two life signs in what appear to have been the basement. Identity is unknown.”

Xander glanced up at the sky to the now barely visible trail of orange light. The longer Warren was out there the greater the chance someone else would end up hurt or worse. On the other hand, leaving two people trapped in the wreckage of a house wasn't an action he associated with a hero. “Guess I gotta dig them out.”

Closing his eyes Xander concentrated, trying to remember all he could from that long ago comic book as well as what he had seen of Annalyse and her ring in action. It wasn't much, but with no prep time to practice it was the best he could give. After several moments a glowing blue hand formed and began to remove the largest pieces of rubble. He was making good time when a sickening groan echoed up from the wreckage.

“What the...,” Xander started as the blue hand faltered then faded from existence.

“Structural integrity was compromised when the building was destroyed, Lantern Harris,” his ring unhelpfully pointed out.

“Duh, that is kind of obvious there. Do you have anything useful to add?”

“Your rescue attempt has further weakened the structure. Without proper bracing and recovery methods, the walls of the basement will collapse in 2 minutes and 28 seconds. The collapse of the basement walls will cause a secondary collapse of the wreckage of the house into the basement, likely killing anyone inside that is not properly protected against blunt force trauma,” the ring's AI informed him.

“What! You didn't tell me this before I started digging for what reason!” Xander's voice was nearly a screech as he glared down at the slim alien device he wore.

“You did not ask, Lantern Harris.”

That stopped all of Xander's building anger and fear cold. Like a bucket of water thrown in his face, it sounded so much to him like what his friends had said. Granted, the ring was much more... polite wasn't the word for it but direct and unemotional. It was still the same message that he had brushed off once before.

“Okay, do you have instructions on how to brace the basement walls so they don't collapse and I can finish digging Andrew and Jonathon out?”

“Affirmative,” the ring answered as a display suddenly sprung to life before Xander's eyes. He could see the stress points that were pushing on the walls of the basement threatening it with collapse. He could see where things needed to be braced, where things should be moved and shifted, and how to get the two teens trapped beneath the rubble out without killing them in the process.

What seemed so simple to do quickly proved to be much more difficult. Knowing he had to get them out, he didn't let anything other than the belief that everything would be okay invade his mind. He did what he had done so many times before and pushed doubt, worry, and disbelief to the side and focused only on the outcome. One glowing pillar of blue light sank into the rubble, then a second and a third. A shovel made of blue light shifted the debris on top to the side here and there easing the stress on the already weakened basement walls. As the timer that had accompanied the overlay in his sight counted down and passed zero, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been quick enough to buy Andrew and Jonathon time so he could get them out.

It was another painstaking fifteen minutes before he cleared a path allowing the two teens to cautiously poke their heads out from the rubble. Andrew was the first springing up already babbling at light speed. “I knew you didn't mean to trap us, Warren. I told Jonathon you would get us out, but he didn't believe. He has no faith. I think you need to punish him and teach him to trust in you. Better yet, we can make him our... our...”

Andrew's babble stopped when he saw Xander standing there in his blue and black uniform, a simple domino mask on his face. His lips twisted up as his eyebrows danced in confusion trying to make sense of what he saw before him. Finally, Jonathon pushed passed the stunned Andrew and held his hand out to Xander. “Thanks, whoever you are. Being stuck in closed in spaces with that,” he said pointing over his shoulder at Andrew, “is a fate worse than death. And growing up in Sunnydale I know a few things about fates worse than death.”

'They don't recognize me,' Xander realized as Jonathon thanked him and Andrew stood tongue-tied. 'They just saw me and don't recognize me.'

“No thanks are needed,” Xander said, trying to deepen his voice. “Just be more careful of who you chose as your friends. Now excuse me, I must stop the Orange Lantern before he harms someone else.”

Satisfied that the two teens would be alright, Xander concentrated on flying and shot into the air in a streak of blue light.

As he rose into the air he marveled at the sight below him. He could see the entirety of Sunnydale stretch out around him. It was almost like looking at a map, 'Or playing Sim City,' he noted. Twisting around, he looked for any obvious signs of Warren's passing. Smoking craters, collapsed buildings, multi-car pile-ups. Any form of chaos and wanton destruction that might herald the presence of the other ring bearer.

When nothing obvious came into his line of vision Xander finally ordered his ring, “Give me a HUD with tracking data for the orange ring.” The requested HUD lit up before his eyes and he quickly spotted the direction Warren was in. A glance at the indicator put him at over three miles away already but holding steady at that distance. “Looks like he found something to interest himself,” he muttered quietly.

As he started to move in the direction the indicator pointed, a thought crossed his mind. “Ring, how come I know how to fly? I mean, I could get you to make the light constructs, but I had seen that happen before and figured it was just a matter of wanting it to happen. But flight, that's all kinds of different. What gives?”

The ring's answer was as prompt as it had been before as it's unemotional voice responded, “Certain functions of all power rings are inherently simple to access to ensure a new ring bearer does not come to an unfortunate end due to lack of training, Lantern Harris. Flight, life support, defensive shielding, and strength enhancement are all more or less automated unless a Lantern Corps member wishes for them not to be.” The ring fell silent for a few beats leaving Xander to believe the explanation was finished before it continued. “Would you like to disable the automatic functions of the ring at this time, Lantern Harris?”

“What?! No! Keep the automaticness, I can barely drive stick shift,” Xander nearly shouted. After a moment he almost thought his ring was playing a joke on him but shrugged it off. It was just a ring after all.

As he neared the location his HUD presented him with, Xander glanced around still not seeing obvious signs of Warren. That concerned him. Whenever a villain decided to go from being loud and proud with his villainy to silent and sneaky it never boded well for the heroes in the comic books. Remembering back to one of the few news articles he ever read, Xander realized that this held true in the real world as well. Stark's rather public high energy weapons use in New York only a few months ago when he faced off against his former friend and employee in a battle of power armors was proof enough of that.

“Ring, is the Orange Lantern Warren Mears inside one of the buildings or did he do that invisibility trick I've seen Annalyse do?”

The ring was silent for a moment before answering, “Orange Power Ring located inside 1st National Bank and Trust of Sunnydale, Lantern Harris.”

“Damn it,” Xander said to no one in particular. “He's probably robbing the bank. I probably should have expected it. It's so damn stereotypical for the first meeting between hero and arch nemesis that it would have been slapping Murphy across the chops to expect anything else.” Giving thought to the problem ahead an idea struck him. “Ring, you said you are capable of altering my costume?”

The rings response almost seemed a mixture of smugness and hurt as it answered, “Your uniform,” it stressed, “may be altered to whatever parameters you desire, Lantern Harris. You need only visualize the changes you wish to make.”

This brought a smile to Xander's lips as he closed his eyes and concentrated on what his idea. After a few minutes, the cloth black and blue uniform of a Blue Lantern was replaced with something that would look right at home alongside Stark's Ironman armors. It was sleek, curving and fitting to his form while still retaining the obvious visuals of metal armor. The chest and back down to his upper legs was a midnight blue that bordered on the brightest edge of the shade with black running along his sides. His boots, gauntlets, and helmet shared the rich blue color with his torso. The arms and legs of the armor as well as the face plate of the helmet where all the same black that nearly mirrored the perfect pitch black of the night sky away from civilization as his sides were. His eyes were masked behind two glowing lenses of blue only a breaths brighter than the rest of the armor. On the chest, where the arc reactor had been visible on the Iron Man armor that he had seen clips of, was instead the symbol of his Corps. Highlighted in glowing white, the blue symbol of hope stood out proudly.

Xander brought his gauntlet up before his eyes viewing the blue power ring that now looked to be a part of the greater whole of his armor and smiled. “Ring, since you are providing the armor I am assuming it is a form of light construct. Is this correct?”

“Yes and no, Lantern Harris. All rings are capable of limited matter creation for the purposes of creating the uniforms of a ring bearer. However, your knowledge and understanding of how this type of armor is limited and incomplete at best. In order to ensure you are capable of performing your duties while presenting yourself in this alternate of the Blue Lantern uniform, I have had to make compromises.”

“Compromises seem not good,” Xander stated, starting to think his idea of masking himself with full body armor might have been a mistake.

“All compromises have simply ensured your ability to function at full capability, Lantern Harris. You will be no more hindered than if you had retained your original uniform,” the ring promptly informed him. “Full working knowledge of the technologies that allow this form of armor to function would allow you to create your armor to be fully functional rather than being reliant upon the offensive and defensive capabilities of your ring.”

That was of interest to Xander but something he had to put aside for now. There was a time and a place to geek out over possibly having his own power armor. While Warren Mears still had a power ring and hostages was not that time. “Right, later then. Can you give me a floor plan for the bank as well as positions for Mears and civilians inside?”

The ring didn't bother to answer instead feeding the information to a blue holographic display inside his helmet. According to the display, Warren was inside the safe already along with two people his ring had painted as civilians. With the limited time he had between beating Xander to death and now, Xander was pretty sure that's what they were. “Hasn't had time for recruiting minions. Or are they henchmen since he's a supervillain and not a mad scientist?” Xander wondered aloud as he pondered the situation.

“Ring, you have the capability to phase me and others out, correct?”  
“Yes, Lantern Harris. I should warn you that phasing is...”

“That's good enough,” Xander said, cutting his ring's reply off. “The two civilians are close enough together that I should be able to phase through the wall, grab them, phase us all out, then drop into the basement and sub-basement. That should keep them safe enough while I go deal with Warren.”

As Xander moved into position next to the outside wall nearest to where the two hostages were, his ring attempted to speak again. “The odds of this succeeding...”

Xander promptly ignored his ring as he stepped through the wall. The hostages turned out to be the bank's manager, a short pudgy man that he remembered seeing his mother argue with one time and a brunette woman that Xander assumed was one of the bank's other employee's from her dress. He quickly grasped the shoulders of the soon to be former hostages and phased them out, smiling all the while at the stunned open jawed expression that had painted Warren's face. 

As they dropped down through the floor into first the basement then the sub-basement his ring continued its attempt to convince him against his course of action. “Are less than one percent.”

As he and two very frightened bank employees phased back into existence, he brightly replied to his ring, “Never tell me the odds.” Patting the now safe and secure bank employee's on their shoulders he stepped past them looking up at the ceiling. “It might not take him too long to figure out what I just did. I'd suggest calling the police but they would only give him potential hostages,” he told the two.

“And you can stop him?” The woman of pair asked hopefully.

Xander nodded as he moved into position for the next part of his cunning plan, “I hope so, because if not? The world is going to be faced with looking at someone flying around in THAT color of orange. People might blind themselves to save them the humiliation,” he commented cheerfully.

“You hope! You hope! What kind of nonsense is that?” The bank manager demanded to know.

Xander turned the glowing blue lenses that covered his eyes to the man and smiled, not that he could see it, and answered. “It's the best kind of nonsense. Hope is what let us win independence. Hope is what caused slaves to rise up and fight the south. Hope is what every immigrant to this country felt as they sailed into New York and saw the Lady Liberty. Hope is the best kind of nonsense there is, Sir. And it's hope that will stop that putz up there cold. That is the promise of the Blue Lantern Corps.”

Turning from the man Xander forced himself back out of phase with reality and flew up through the ceiling and into the basement then into the vault itself. He didn't have much time to congratulate himself on his first heroic speech, though he thought it was a good one before he flew out of the basement and right behind Warren. Not wasting a moment's time, he laced his fingers together forming one oversized fist from the two and slammed them into Warren's back.  
The blow drove the Orange Lantern across the vault and into a free standing shelving unit against the wall that held stacks of bills. The shelving unit crumpled under the foreign body invading its space and decided to make its displeasure known by collapsing on top of Warren. Bills fluttered into the air before raining down like it was a green Christmas.

“What the...” was all Warren got out before Xander enacted phase two of his cunning plan. 

A glowing blue anvil appeared in the air above Warren as Xander asked, “What’s that?” When Warren looked up to where Xander was pointing with his offhand the anvil dropped at speeds that far exceeded terminal velocity. The clang that rang out as it knocked the Orange Lantern senseless to the floor was so unrealistically loud that it caused Xander to flinch.

“Yep, that's gotta smart,” he commented as he stepped forward to check on his now money covered foe. “Still, that was easier than I thought it would...”  
Xander found himself reliving his earlier confrontation with Warren as he felt himself go flying out the vault door into the main floor of the bank. He knew wood and plaster had been shattered by his passing. Thankfully not by any pain he felt, though there was a considerable amount. Instead, it was the haze of dust and powder floating in his vision that told the tale. He could see the shattered and broken faux wall that he had been driven through and the hole his body had made.

“Be. Really gotta remember not to taunt Murphy like that,” he muttered as he picked himself up off the ground. “Otherwise, they're going to have to get a new Blue Lantern all too quick for my tastes.”

“How dare you try to take what is mine!” Boomed out from Warren as he rocketed out of the vault straight at Xander. The Orange Lantern slammed into Xander's armored form driving him back and through yet another wall. This time one of the bank's brick exterior walls, Xander noted as he watched the powdered and pulverized brick shower the street outside.

Xander found himself abruptly stopped when he impacted with the side of a dump truck carelessly parked across the street from the bank. Warren hung about five feet above the ground, hands on his hips and a smug expression of triumph on his face. Xander sincerely wanted to wipe that expression out of existence.

“Pathetic! You think you can stop me from taking what is mine! I am Deus! You should bow before me, worm,” Warren demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Deus? As in Deus Ex Machina?” Xander asked in disbelief without bothering to remove himself from the armor shaped dent he made in the garbage truck's side. “Are you seriously going with that as your name? God? Oh man, I am so going to hold you down so the Pope can spank you for that one.”

Warren let out an inarticulate scream and rushed Xander again with one fist held out before him. Waiting until the last moment, Xander rolled out of his comfy dent and away from Warren, a blue yardstick appearing in the air as he passed and promptly swatting him on the rear end and driving him down to the ground where he rolled to a halt against the truck. “Seriously, maybe I'll see if the sisters down at Our Lady of Peace want a piece of you,” Xander told him with a laugh. “Because if anyone deserves some old fashion corporal punishment, it's you, Warren.”

Xander smiled as he taunted the downed Orange Lantern but didn't get too close to him this time. Warren had already surprised him once and he wasn't eager to repeat his imitation of a dodge ball anytime soon. He stepped around to the side trying to get a view of Warrens ring hand when an orange baseball bat formed out in the air. Twice the size of a normal bat it swung at four times the speed of a major league player, staggering the armored Blue Lantern back. With a shake of his head, Xander formed a shield to stop the second and third swings from finding their mark. It was all the distraction Warren needed to regain his feet, though.

With a sneer, Warren spoke as his bat swung a fourth and fifth time again meeting Xander's blue shield. “Those fools are beneath me. They should serve me, for they serve the higher power. And what higher power is there than me? They should be thankful that I would deign to claim them as my own! As should this city!”

“What?” Xander asked incredulously. “You are calling yourself Deus and you are talking about claiming a city? What's the matter? Leave your big god undies at home?”

As he had expected, Warren responded with blind aggression yet again. Rocketing forward to try and punch Xander while his bat kept swinging at his shield. Trying to time it carefully Xander let the shield drop for a moment and brought his anvil back into existence, dropping it on Warren's head when he was less than a foot away. Unfortunately, his timing was off and Warren still managed one last solid hit with the orange super-sized bat before his concentration was broken and with it the bat.

As one Orange Lantern was driven into the ground and one Blue Lantern was flung across the street into the side of a cherry red corvette, a forty-something executive type walked out of the restaurant he had stopped in for lunch. Watching the brightly colored costumed individuals battle it out in the streets of the small quiet town he had passed through on his way to L.A. was enough in and of itself to cause him to have flashbacks to living in New York. When the armored one was embedded into the side of his corvette a reaction that could only be called PTSD occurred. He promptly dropped to the ground and curled up in a fetal position crying as he muttered about maniacs in red and gold armor.

Xander picked himself up out of the corvette he had been smashed into, instantly regretting his choice in backstops. It had been a beautiful car. Putting it out of his mind he turned to face Warren who had similarly pulled himself out of the concrete and was standing once again. “If you think I'm going to let you do what you want, you're more delusional than usual, Warren. Give up before I have to drop another anvil on your head and save yourself a headache,” he told the other Lantern.

Warren didn't bother to answer. Instead, he rocketed into the sky. A heartfelt, “Crap,” escaped Xander's lips as he took off in pursuit.  
As they reached what Xander's HUD told him was 2000 feet he saw Warren flip around to face him while still traveling upwards. The bright glow emanating from the orange ring was all the warning he had when a blast of orange energy lanced down at him. It was enough that he was able to get a field of blue energy raised around him in a bubble, absorbing the shot.

Failure to deal any damage to Xander didn't deter Warren from trying again as multiple blasts of orange light reached out again and again. Xander's bubble continued to absorb the pounding rain of energy as they slammed into it. Smiling, Xander noticed that he was finally gaining on Warren now that he was focused more on shooting him than on getting away.

Putting on a final burst of speed, Xander shot forward and dropped his shield as he slammed into his target. Warren careened away, tumbling like an out of control gymnast through the air. Not letting up, Xander formed a potato gun out of solid light and launched a glowing blue potato into the twisting form catching Warren in the gut. The potato gun faded from sight as Xander reformed it into a sledgehammer and zipped in to slam it against Warren's side, sending him careening away once more.

Warren was quicker to regain his equilibrium this time. Righting himself he took inspiration from Xander, but instead of a potato gun, he created a mini-gun. As the multi-barrel front spun up Xander's eyes opened wide and he quickly threw up another bubble shield around himself. He was barely in time as orange bullet after orange bullet slammed into the shield in a seemingly never ending staccato of sound.

When his ring chose to speak up again Xander nearly cursed at it.

“Ring Energy at 15% and falling,” it calmly informed him.

“Okay, okay. That means his has to be even lower since his was active first. Right? Please tell me I'm right,” he pleaded with his ring as his mind started trying to figure out what to do.

“That is an inaccurate assumption, Lantern Harris. The Orange Lantern ring, by virtue of only ever having one wielder of the Orange Light, is capable of holding a charge of upwards to one hundred thousand percent compared to your ring's state of being completely charged at 100%.”

“WHAT!”

“That is an inaccurate,” the ring began again.

“No, no, just... don't. Crap, I have to end this now then. Okay, think Xander. Think. How do you get a power ring away from its wearer?” He looked up at Warren as a thought came to him. “Simple, you remove the hand wearing it,” he answered his own question. “Ring, we can make edged weapons, right?”

“This is correct, Lantern Harris. Any weapon you are familiar with the shape, form, and function of you can replicate with your ring,” the ring answered.

“Good, time to hopefully not imitate the Light Brigade,” he muttered then got a bright smile. “Hey, Willow will be happy even if this kills me! I remembered a historical thingy! Now to live long enough to tell her about it.”

Xander returned Warren's earlier lack of warning with his own and shot forward towards the stationary Orange Lantern. He watched as the percentage number that now displayed on his HUD dropped closer and closer to zero as he closed in on the mini-gun wielding lunatic, trusting that he would reach him in time.

9%

Xander felt his bubble shield wobble, small ripples appearing as he grew closer to the source of the faux bullets.

8%

Warren's lips were twisted up in a condescending sneer as he fired round after round into the armored figure before him, pushing Xander's determination harder.

7%

Xander could see small fissures starting to form in his shield. His rings energy was getting low, too low. He idly wondered what would happen if it drained of energy while he was between planets in space.

6%

“Emergency shutdown occurs past 5% power remaining, Lantern Harris. Do you wish to override the emergency shutdown?”

5%

“Yes, yes, override the emergency shutdown!”

4%

Warren's face twisted in hate as a second mini-gun joined the first. Xander watched helplessly as he rocketed towards it as its barrel began to spin up.

3%

The rounds of both mini-guns slamming into his shield quickly doubled the fractures that had been forming. He had barely 20 feet to go before he would be inside the barrel's field of fire and Warren's arrogant smirk as he watched Xander's shield begin to fail assured him that the Orange Lantern wasn't afraid he was going to lose.

2%

Xander's shield failed as he passed the barrel's of the mini-guns. He felt at least one round clip him but ignored it as he reached back with his ring hand, prepared to strike.

1%

Xander formed the blade, a typical European long sword like he had seen Buffy practicing with and begin to swing it forward when disaster struck. He felt the ring drain of power, his blade flickering out of existence. His forward momentum faltered and for a moment he was hanging in the air as if gravity didn't exist. Warren sneered as he saw the blue armor fall away to reveal Xander Harris.

“I win, and those little bitch girls of yours will worship at my feet.”

0%

Xander's armor flared back into life, his blade springing to life in his hand as it traversed the arc he had started and never stopped. Warren's face flashed into shock then denial as the blue edged blade sliced into his wrist effortlessly. Within moments, the man who would be god was falling, as susceptible to gravity as any other mortal.

Xander grabbed Warren's severed hand out of the air by the fingers, wrapping his own over the power ring still on it. Twisting, not paying attention to the fact his ring was reporting 0% power, he rocketed down at the plummeting Warren Mears. With one hand he roughly caught the other teen by his arm, wrenching Warren's shoulder out of its socket but preventing him from becoming a smear on the pavement below.

As they landed, Xander realized they were outside the bank where their fight had started in earnest. Police were already present, guns quickly drawn and pointing at both Xander and Warren. Thinking he would have to flee before his ring decided to pay attention to its own power read out once again, he tensed his mind to propel himself away, hoping to avoid the bullets as he didn't think he could reform his shield again.

Before he could take action he heard a voice screaming as a brunette woman ran out from the bank. “Stop! Stop! He saved us! Don't shoot the blue guy! Leave him alone you idiots!”

The woman's screams confused the police long enough that Xander was able to take off into the sky without a shot being fired in his direction. Warren Mears was left to their tender mercies, short one hand.

(***)

Elsewhere in eternity.

Murphy heard the door to the bar open and close but gave it no mind, a smile calmly plastered on his face as he called for another pitcher of beer.

He gave no reaction when a beautiful woman that looked to be into punk fashion with her blue and orange hair sat down next to him. He simply poured himself a fresh glass out of the new pitcher the bartender sat down in front of him.

When the punk woman gave him a careful appraising gaze, he gave the first hint that he even noticed her. He poured a second glass of beer and slid it in front of the punk woman.

When the woman took a drink of the beer he gave the second hint that he took notice of her. A broad smile crept across his face.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for several minutes before Murphy finally spoke.

"Thought you woulda warned him," he said conversationally.

The punk woman shrugged her shoulders. "Where would be the fun in that?" she answered.


	5. Protect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, big thanks to Chadmaako for being my Beta-Reader and MeJA for being my brainstorming partner. Without you two, this story wouldn't exist.

Xander made it 3 blocks before his ring gave up the ghost and he was forced to land. Landing actually might be a bit strong for what happened. He had just passed over an alleyway when suddenly his armor flickered out of existence and he dropped suddenly and without warning. Finding himself in freefall was one of the least pleasant things the nascent Blue Lantern had experienced in his life. The sudden stop of the freefall incited by first a brick wall that he bounced off of followed by the hard pavement of the alleyway, quickly topped that list in his opinion.

 

Peeling himself up off the concrete he groaned, shooting a glare at his power ring. He wanted to blame the inanimate object for his sudden descent but found he couldn't work up the energy to bother insulting or otherwise defaming the small metallic object. That it had given him the power needed to stop Warren and save at least four lives on his own only further served to distract him from those urges.

 

Looking up and down the alley and seeing he was alone, Xander spoke to his ring in a hushed tone. “Ring, you're not dead, are you?”

 

“No, Lantern Harris. I simply require recharging in order to function at full capacity,” it answered back in a more normal tone of voice. “If you would recover your Lantern Battery to do so, it would be appreciated.”

 

Xander blinked as he thought back to the battery he had drawn out of thin air back at Warren's house. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what he had done with it. He remembered drawing it out of its pocket dimension, speaking the oath, then... nothing.

 

“Um... ring? I think I, um, might have dropped it. Back at Warren's place?”

 

“Affirmative, Lantern Harris. Due to your level of distraction caused by the collapsed house and the criminal Orange Lantern Mears escape you did not place it back in its place. I activated the safety protocols and ensured it was returned whence it came to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands,” his ring informed him.

 

“Oh... Okay. Thanks?” Xander said quizzically. “You would think with all the automation you have built in you wouldn't even need someone to wear you to get the job done.”

 

“Incorrect, Lantern Harris. While many of my essential functions are automated, essential offensive functions can only be accessed and utilized by the wearer. Yourself in this case.”

 

Xander arched one eyebrow as he pondered this before asking, “Why? I mean, if I get knocked out or rendered stupid or mind controlled or something wouldn't it make sense that you could keep fighting? At the very least to protect me or others?”

 

“The answer to your question is rather simple, Lantern Harris,” the ring answered back sounding slightly smug. “Even Emotion has watched The Terminator.”

 

That caused Xander to fall over from laughter. The fact that an omnipotent personification of the universe had watched Terminator in and of itself was funny. That she had taken the warning about artificial intelligence to heart when designing the power rings of this universe was hilarious. He could almost picture her sitting in a theater while patrons complained about the kaleidoscope of colors that made up her body.

 

“Okay,” Xander said when he finally got control over himself. “Let's get you charged up and get home. I need to figure out what to do with this orange ring. Hopefully sometime soon.”

 

Standing back up he drew his power battery out for the second time that day and placed his ring against it.

 

“You know, now that life and limb aren't at risk I feel a little silly doing this,” he said to no one in particular before reciting the oath of the Blue Lantern Corps.

 

(***)

 

Xander looked up at the quickly darkening sky as he turned down his street, wondering what the girls were up to. After the events of the day he needed to talk to them, sooner rather than later in his opinion. While he didn't expect them to completely reverse their opinions - 'Willow and Annalyse's. Buffy didn't say anything other than run out crying,' he reminded himself – he was sure that his possession of the power ring would at least calm their fears somewhat. Nothing he did would ever remove their fear of losing him to the fight. He knew that with as much certainty as he did that he could never walk away from the fight. He was also slowly coming to accept that part of them.

 

'It's not like I don't have the same fear for them,' he told himself. 'Every single time Buffy went out on patrol since I've known her that fear has sat inside me and Willow both. I'd be a hypocrite for telling them they were wrong to worry about me.'

 

Still, he knew just as strongly that they had to understand he couldn't just stop trying. Even before Emotion had gifted him with the ring, he couldn't. If he was the kind of person that could turn a blind eye to the things he had seen he would never have started helping Buffy in the first place. Xander was sure he could get them to understand that, and with the protection his new partner provided him, he would be that much safer fighting at their side.

 

'Still need to train with it,' he noted. 'And sadly, if the ring is right, that means I'm going to have to start taking school a bit more seriously.'

 

That was a small part that he was, ironically, looking forward to. While he had never done exceptionally well in school he was in the exact same AP classes as both Willow and Buffy and had managed to pass them. Yes, he had turned to Willow time and again for help but a large part of that was simply not applying himself. Another part of it was that it gave him an excuse to be out of his house and spend time with his best friend. Now with a reason to actually learn things he had all the motivation he needed to actually bother to apply himself rather than coasting.

 

'Bet that will make Willow happy and shock the hell out of both her and Buffy,' passed through his mind causing him to chuckle.

 

Xander's fond thoughts were quickly shattered as he approached his family home. The modest two-level home looked less occupied than many of the similar homes on the street. The lawn had grown a bit longer and the paint was cracked and chipped. One of the windows that had been broken by his dad during a drunken haze had clear plastic taped over it from the inside. Xander could still remember the morning his father had first seen the window while sober. He had snapped at him blaming Xander for the shattered window not remembering throwing an empty Jack Daniels bottle through it.

 

It wasn't the state of the property that broke him out of his thoughts, though. It was the screaming voice coming from inside. “You stupid bitch! I told you to get off your ass and get me another fucking beer!”

 

Xander clenched his fists hearing his father scream at his mother. It wasn't the first time but he was damn sure it would be the last as he willed his armor into existence and began to march towards his home.

 

“Lantern Harris, I must inquire as to your intentions,” his ring suddenly asked.

 

“I intend to go in there and teach my father you don't beat your wife,” he said through gritted teeth.

 

“With accordance with Blue Lantern Corps Law, I feel I must inform you that unnecessary violence would violate your oath as a Blue Lantern.”

 

Xander stopped in shock, more than a little anger threading through his words as he addressed his power ring, “Against the... what the hell am I supposed to do then? He's in there beating my mother to death!”

 

“Lantern Harris, please calm yourself. I was merely informing you of a possible infraction against the Blue Lantern Corps Laws. I did not mean to imply you could not render assistance.”

 

Xander took a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath to calm himself. “Right, no unnecessary violence. Okay, do you have access to California Law? And if so can you give me access to any sections pertaining to a citizen's arrest?”

 

“Accessing... Information found. Displaying now on HUD,” his ring answered him back.

 

Scanning over the section he quickly jumped to the fact that it was legal but he was restricted in using force only if necessary and he had to use the absolute minimum amount or he could face legal prosecution for Assault. Knowing for a fact that his dad was guilty wasn't an issue as he could hear and would shortly see the crime being committed in front of him.

 

“Ring, can you access the local phone network and place a call to 911? Keep the line open so they can hear what is occurring on this end,” he said as he resumed his measured steps to the front door. That it was standing wide open was a relief. His father had several inches and even more pounds on him, most of which was actually muscle from working construction for the majority of Tony Harris' adult life. Xander wasn't sure if he could restrain his father without using his ring short of a violent conflict that would likely land him in jail just as quickly as his father. That meant being 'in uniform' as it were. The door being open saved him from any charges of breaking and entering.

 

“911, what's your emergency,” was suddenly spoken into his ear as if wearing a headset.

 

“I am outside 1263 Dayview Drive and am witnessing a man physically assaulting his wife. I am going to attempt a citizen's arrest. I would appreciate if an officer would be dispatched to take the man into custody,” he calmly said as he crossed the threshold of the home.

 

“Sir, it would be better if you stayed outside,” the operator informed him.

 

“That is not an option, Ma'am,” he replied. “The assailant is using a baseball bat to attack the woman on the scene. If no one intervenes immediately she will be dead by the time your officers arrive.” Xander's voice rose in volume as he stopped speaking to the 911 operator as he approached his father. “Sir, place the weapon on the ground. I have informed the police of your actions and they are being dispatched as we speak. I am placing you under citizen’s arrest for the safety of both the public and yourself,” he told his father as he read the instructions off of his HUD.

 

His father turned towards him and growled. Xander could see his bloodshot eyes and smell the reek of alcohol on him. Tony's dark hair was a rat’s nest and the stubble on his chin showed he hadn't bothered to shave in at least a day. “Yeah, and who's you suppus'ta be? A smurf?” He slurred out. Tony glanced over at his blood covered wife then back to Xander and grinned. “Look'a'dat honey, the smurf thinks he can arrest me in my own home. Tell's ya what, smurf. No one’s gonna do shit. Cept me beat da hell outta you. Cuz a man's home... it's his... his castle. Yeah, his castle. So why don't ya fuck off, smurf?”

 

“Sir, you need to place the weapon on the ground and step away from the woman,” Xander told his father through gritted teeth. Part of him was hoping his dad would take a swing at him. Another part was urging him to handle this without his power ring so he could have just cause to beat the ever loving hell out of one Tony Harris. Harris resisted those parts of himself by continuously reminding himself that his father was only human and despite what had to be done to deal with the nightlife in Sunnydale they didn't kill humans.

 

“Fuck you,” was the only warning Tony Harris gave as he swung the bat at Xander's head.

 

Not wanting to deal with taking a bat upside the head no matter how unlikely it was to hurt, Xander raised one hand to meet the surprisingly quick strike. He felt the bat slam into the palm of his hand and was reminded just how strong his father could be when fueled with whiskey. Snatching the aluminum weapon from his father's hand he then tossed it behind him to land near the front door.

 

“Sir, for the continued safety of yourself and those present, I am going to restrain you at this time,” he said aloud, more for the sake of the operator still listening in than his father. He willed blue manacles into existence around his father's ankles. He reached out and took his dad's wrist in one hand and quickly spun him and brought one then the other arm behind his back. Blue handcuffs appeared to match the manacles on his legs. Without further warning, Xander nudged his father behind his knees and with one hand guided him to the ground. Once in position a chain formed between the cuffs and manacles keeping him in that position.

 

“Sir? Sir? Are you all right?” Was asked by the operator who finally seemed fit to speak again.

 

“Yes, Ma'am. The suspect has been detained and restrained for his own safety. He was belligerent and aggressive before attempting to attack me with the baseball bat he was using to beat his wife. I am now moving to check on the victim's medical condition but would suggest an ambulance also be dispatched,” he quickly reported.

 

“Uh, yes, Sir. I have two officers on their way. They should arrive shortly,” she told Xander as he kneeled over the beaten form of his mother.

 

Xander started to look over his mother's injuries drawing on the experience he had gained the hard way helping Buffy. While quite often he and Willow used to be in bed when the blonde returned from nightly patrols he had still been there often enough when she returned to Giles or the library. The sheer number of cuts, bruises, and other injuries he had learned about still baffled him. He was no doctor, not even a medic, but between the CPR class he had taken as a Freshman and his on the job experience, as it were, he had learned enough to at least judge that his mother wasn't in any obvious danger. Most of the blood he could see came from a large cut on her forehead, a split lip, and a bloodied nose. From what he could tell his father had only just stepped up to using the bat before he arrived.

 

“Female victim appears to be stable. Several lacerations and contusions but I don't think anything is broken,” he told the operator before looking up and hearing the sound of sirens in the distance. “I also hear sirens, police I believe.”

 

“Good, they should be there any moment. I told them you were inside but make sure to keep your hands visible so they don't mistake you for the suspect,” the operator told him.

 

Xander nodded despite the operator not being able to see him. Standing he moved to grab one of the dining room chairs and brought it back to the living room, placing it in clear sight of the front door. Sitting down he calmly placed his hands in his lap as he waited for the cops to arrive he glanced over to his mother, still unconscious.

 

'Don't worry mom, help will be here soon,' passed through his thoughts as he wished he could comfort her.

 

'Go figure, first time in my life I'll be glad to see a cop in this town,' he thought with a snicker. 'Least, I better be happy to see them.'

 

A few moments later the sounds of sirens waxed louder before abruptly being cut off. Xander could clearly see the flashing lights of the cop car as it parked in front of the house. Two police officers moved with an economy of motion he wasn't used to seeing in the Sunnydale police force. All too often they were slowed by either a lack of caring about their job or too many doughnuts. He watched as they drew their weapons as they approached the door, eyeing him suspiciously.

 

“Place your hands where we can see them,” one officer called in, his gun slowly rising.

 

Xander nodded, lifting his hands slowly so they could see they were empty. Nodding to his father he was still kneeling and struggling against his bindings he said, “Welcome, Officers. I was the one that called 911. I have placed this gentleman under civilian arrest for domestic assault and was forced to restrain him after he attacked me.”

 

The two officers looked from Xander to his father and back again a few times. The eyes of the younger officer suddenly grew to twice their original size as he looked at Xander and recognition shined through. “You! You're the one that stopped that bank robbery earlier. Took care of that wacko in the orange jumpsuit.”

 

Xander felt a grin cross his lips as he nodded once to the officer in acknowledgment. “Yes, Officer, that was me,” he said trying not to divulge any information that he could withhold. It wasn't like he could explain that a personification of one portion of the universe asked him to take care of Mears.

 

The officer smiled broadly, holstering his gun before motioning for his partner to do the same. “Don't worry Streets, this guy is good in my book,” he told his partner then turned to look at Xander once more. “Listen, I don't even know your name. None of us do. And well, that lady you got outta the vault? My sister. You saved her from that nut job. So thanks for that.”

 

Xander could feel his cheeks flushing under the praise as he lowered his hands and stood as the other officer holstered his weapon, “It was nothing, Officer. Simply doing my job. As for a name, you can call me Lantern as I am a member of the Blue Lantern Corps,” he told him sounding slightly embarrassed.

 

“All right, Lantern. And thanks again,” the officer said as he approached. “This the guy you saw beating his wife?” At Xander's nod he squatted down behind him and looked at the glowing blue cuffs on Tony. “You don't by chance have the key for these?” He asked as he pulled out his own handcuffs.

 

Xander let go of the part of his concentration that had been holding the cuffs in place and the officer quickly slapped his own on Tony. “It gives me great pleasure to do this, Mr. Harris. Your kid deserves better than this,” he said before starting to read him his Miranda rights.

 

It was then that Xander's mother chose to stir, sitting up as she rubbed her head right where it had been split open. Drawing her hand back to find it covered in blood she blinked repeatedly before looking around herself. Seeing her husband handcuffed and being lifted to his feet by a cop she suddenly started to struggle to stand, her voice crying out to those that were nearby, “Hey, stop it! Get your hands off my husband you asshole!”

 

Xander suddenly found himself with an armful of angry pissed off Jessica as she struggled to get past him and to the police arresting his Dad. He couldn't believe what he was hearing and knew that all the care he had taken to follow the steps needed to get his father arrested had just gone out the window. “Let go'a'him you bastard pig! Don't you touch him! Baby, baby, I love you! I'll get you outta there, don't you worry none! Get off a him you damn pig bastard! He never touched me! I just fell down. That's all you fuckers!”

 

The second officer came over and pried his mother off of him, motioning for him to head outside as he tried to calm the distraught woman. Xander gave him a nod feeling the flash of anger rise up as he listened to his mother's fevered defense of her abusive husband. Getting out of the house quickly became a good idea for the embittered teen.

 

He made it out in time to see the officer that had recognized him place his father in the back seat of the cop car. He walked over to him as the officer shook his head looking regretful.

 

“Should'a figured this would happen,” he said as Xander approached. “We've arrested this sick bastard at least a dozen times on charges of domestic and child abuse but it never sticks. Every single time that woman in there defends him and drops any charges that get filed.”

 

“What about their kid? Anyone bother to talk to him?” He asked trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. From the matching expression of anger and frustration on the officer, Xander figured he failed miserably.

 

“Sadly, no. Not for lack of trying. His mother won't let anyone near him to talk to him without her present and every report we file with the state seems ta go missing or ignored. So 'till the kid turns 18, we kinda got our hands tied on this. Which, let me tell you, sucks.”

 

Xander looked up to the sky, watching it darken as they stood there wondering where the justice was that even his mother wouldn't stand up for him or herself. That she would not only take the abuse his father handed out to them both but encourage it by defending him.

 

As if reading his mind the officer clapped him on the shoulder with one hand. “Don't let it get to ya, kid. We can't save anyone if they aren't willing to be saved,” he told him and started to step around to the front door to await his partner. He paused for one moment and leaned forward towards Xander, his voice dipping down quiet like, “And kid, get something ta change your voice in that thing. Or someone else is gonna recognize more than the armor if ya get me.”

 

Xander staggered back a step and tensed. The cop recognized his voice! Andrew and Jonathon had seen him with just the domino mask and cloth uniform and hadn't recognized him. Warren hadn't figured it out until after his ring had failed ever so briefly during their fight. This cop, he recognized his voice from the few sentences he had spoken!

 

He paused his mental panic before it could run away with him and looked, really looked at the cop's face. It was open, honest, and not a hint of duplicity or malice. If Xander saw anything it was regret. Regret that he had failed a young boy and couldn't protect him. Xander nodded to the officer as he realized his secret would remain just that.

 

“Thanks,” he said and the officer nodded in reply before Xander took to the air, moving as far away from the building that had been his childhood home the sounds of an ambulance's siren fading into the background.

 

(***)

 

Xander hung in the air above Sunnydale looking out across the city. He had flown up here angry and furious with his mother. Finding out that it had not been the ignorant or corrupt police responsible for his father's continued freedom had hung heavy in his heart. Yes, his mother was no saint. She drank just as much as his father, but she had never raised her hand to him. Now even that was gone. She had stood by knowing what was going on, suffered most of it herself, and done nothing but protect the bastard that had been hurting them both.

 

Xander wanted to hate her for it.

 

He wanted to, but he couldn't. Despite the anger and fury in himself for what they had both suffered at the hands of his father, he couldn't hate her. He was pissed. More angry than he had ever been. It eclipsed even the anger he had felt in the hospital when Willow and Annalyse dressed him down like a new recruit. His mother had chosen that scum over him. But he couldn't hate her. They had both lived through it together, had suffered the same hurts over and over again. And now, even knowing the truth, he couldn't bring himself to hate her any more than before.

 

She was his mother.

 

Pushing the melancholy thoughts out of his mind, Xander took a deep breath and tried to think about something, anything, else. Something his ring had mentioned just before he went in to stop his dad from beating his mother to death rose up to take center stage in his mind. With a nod, he knew what he needed to know and spoke to his ring.

 

“Ring, you mentioned the Blue Lantern Corps has laws. What are these laws and who enforces them?”

 

“The Blue Lantern Corps Laws are enforced by Emotion. Should the Corps expand enough to require more enforcement personnel the senior members of the Corps will assist in doing so,” the ring informed him. “As for the laws themselves, there are 11 Laws of the Blue Lantern Corps. They are as follows...

 

1\. The Protection of Life and Liberty within the Assigned Sector

2\. Following the orders of Emotion with intelligence and due diligence

3\. Noninterference with a planet's culture, political structure, or its population's collective will

4\. Acting within local laws and obeying local authority within reason

5\. Taking no action against anyone until they are proven to be a threat to life and liberty

6\. Refusal to use the equipment, resources, or authority of the Corps for personal gain

7\. Showing respect for and cooperating with fellow guardians of life and liberty

8\. Showing respect for life which includes restraint of force unless there is not another reasonable alternative.

9\. Giving top priority to the greatest threat within a sector

10\. If Emotion is unable to perform her sacred duties as Leader of the Corps, that responsibility falls to Lantern Xander Harris.

11\. Uphold the Honor of the Corps.”

 

Xander floated in the air, shock reeling through his system as his ring finished reciting the laws of the Corps. “Wait a second! Me! I'm in charge if Emotion isn't around? What the hell! I can't be in charge! I'm not in-charge-guy! I'm help-where-I-can-guy!” He shouted in protest.

 

“As the most senior and only member of the Corps, there is no other to which the duty may fall, Lantern Harris,” his ring informed him. Again, Xander thought for a moment that it sounded smug and slightly proud. He pushed this thought from his mind reminding himself again that it was just a ring.

 

“Yeah, okay, I can see that,” he said with resignation to his lot in life. “Let's hope Emotion doesn't suddenly go all whammy wacky then. Cause me in charge, likely not of the good.”

 

Minutes ticked by a silence reigned around him, Xander simply letting his mind wander a bit as the reality of what he was now settled in. He was, for all intents and purposes, a cop. Sure he was a super cop that could likely get around in outer space as easily as he could walk to school before the ring, but he was a cop. And cops had rules they had to follow. He was thankful that the rules that he did have were simple and allowed for a lot of flexibility. He had some concerns, though.

 

“Ring, when it comes to matters of vampires and demons are they covered by Law Eight?”

 

“Yes, Lantern Harris. However, I direct your attention to Law Four. In matters of the supernatural, the Slayer is considered the ultimate authority as recognized by the Blue Lantern Corps.”

 

“So if the Slayer says slay, then I am safe to do so without violating the Law?” Harris asked seeking clarification.

 

“So long as you remember Law Eleven, Uphold the Honor of the Corps, Lantern Harris. If the Slayer becomes corrupt or abusive of their power you are within your rights to refuse to kill and even take the Slayer into custody if necassary.”

 

Xander nodded satisfied with his rings explanation. It gave him the ability to still help with the nightlife without hindering his friends by being incapable of finishing off an opponent. As he congratulated himself on this a thought struck him. Then it slapped him upside the head hard enough to elicit a groan.

 

“Damn it, this means I'm going to have to talk to Buffy and Willow, and soon.”

 


	6. ...and Serve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you Chadmaako for being such a fantastic beta and MeJA for being my brain storming partner. Without the both of you this story wouldn't be nearly as good as it is.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this, the finale chapter of Beaten Blue, on with the show!

Xander was growing more concerned by the second. He had used his ring to call first Willow's house before swallowing his own trickle of fear and tried Giles'. The result was the same for both numbers; the connection rang over and over again with no one answering. He even went so far as calling Cordelia's cell phone and that went straight to voice mail. Yes, there were many times when he, Buffy, and Willow would all be out of their homes but the number of times that Giles wasn't home when one or more of them were also out of contact was pretty small. The number of times Cordelia didn't answer her cell phone was even smaller. His girlfriend was nearly connected at the hip and he had once, much to his regret, compared her to a traveling salesman in that regard.

 

“What the hell is going on?” he muttered as he turned the problem over in his mind. That none of his girls would be in contact was a bit beyond belief. The only times that had happened was during near apocalypses.

 

A chill ran down his spine.

 

“Oh merciful Murphy, please forgive your humble chew toy,” he said with all solemnity and hoped fervently he hadn't jinxed himself.

 

Turning in the air he started to accelerate when his ring spoke up, “Lantern Harris, I am tracking a Violet Power Ring on an intercept course.” Xander blew out a breath he hadn't realized he had even taken and promptly stopped in midair to wait for Annalyse to catch up to him.

 

Watching the Star Sapphire come flying in at speed was a sight. She looked like a glowing pink angel, all righteous power, and cleansing light. As the glowing speck grew larger Xander found himself actually feeling something down low in his stomach. It took several moments for him to realize what it was affecting him. When the realization hit him, he could only wonder if his presence would have a similar effect on the Star Sapphire rapidly approaching him.

 

Annalyse's flight halted abruptly in front of him. Her hair whipped around her in the evening wind high above the city. Xander felt himself involuntarily tense up as she looked at him. Her face was a mask of fury, her blue eyes sparking with a rage that only lent itself to the vision of an angel filled with a vindictive righteousness. Her ring was already glowing ever so slightly brighter than the dancing flame like aura around her, the ever constant battle companion of a solid light blade formed in her hand.

 

Xander couldn't help but gulp.

 

“You have thirty seconds to convince me you haven't just doomed this multi-verse to fighting our war, Blue Lantern,” Annalyse demanded with authority.

 

'Shit shit, what is she talking about? Doom us? Why would she think one of the Blue Lantern's would doom us?' Ran through his mind quicker than he believed thoughts could.

 

'The most logical conclusion would be she fears something following someone through a portal from her own world, Lantern Harris,' resonated through his mind causing Xander to reel with yet another surprise.

 

He couldn't focus on it. The real situation wasn't his rings seemingly sudden development of telepathy, though he doubted it was a new thing. The situation was a very pissed, very terrified alien that likely had enough power in her pinky to turn him into a road smear in seconds, power ring or not. The fact that she too had possession of one of the universe's most powerful weapons in existence, in this and likely any multi-verse, only made the desperation of things all that more real. He had to calm her down and do it now before he found himself on the receiving end of every comic books worst cliché.

 

“Ring, remove my helmet,” he snapped out hoping that the sight of him would relax the intense protective urges he could feel rolling off of Annalyse. Knowing her ring ran off of love and how many horrible and terrible things were done in the name of love, often for all the right reasons, he knew he only had one chance to stop this before it started.

 

Even with his mind so focused on appeasing the swirling maelstrom of emotion before him that was Annalyse, he couldn't help but find himself surprised. This wasn't her world, her multi-verse. She had been trapped here trying to fix the nightmare that a soulless Angel had nearly brought about. There was no reason for her to hold such fierce loyalty to any of them, let alone the world at large. It was their fault she was even trapped here. Yet buried beneath the fury, desperation, and terror he could feel the love. Constant, strong, pulsing like a living thing. It was that love that all of her other emotions derived from. Annalyse, a stranger to their world, loved it. Completely and utterly.

 

It was the sudden cessation of those emotions that snapped Xander out of his introspection. The maelstrom had been replaced by pure unadulterated relief quickly followed by confusion. He wasn't sure why he was sensing all these things from her. He hadn't around anyone else that day, not Warren, not his parents, the police, or the bank workers he had rescued. It was a mystery for him to solve, later.

 

“Xander?” Annalyse finally asked. “But, how? Why?”

 

Now he could feel fear again, but it was subtly different. It wasn't the fear one felt facing down a potential threat. It felt hollow, empty. It took a moment for Xander to realize what it was, the fear of having failed. The fear that comes when there is no hope. It tasted like ash in his mouth, fouler than any that had managed to get on him fighting vampires.

 

Xander nearly puked.

 

Getting control of himself, he started to wonder if Annalyse could feel him the same way he was feeling her. Deciding to try something he took a deep breath hoping this wouldn't jump up and bite him on the ass. He concentrated on the center of his power. Its source. Hope, the very thing that he was supposed to stand for; be a symbol of.

 

After a few beats of his heart, he could feel it rising, a blue aura growing around him. At first, it was faint but it steadily grew both more solid and brighter. A few more heart beats later it was a rich azure blue that burned around him, a light in the darkness. Hope to stand against despair.

 

Watching Annalyse was a story in and of itself. Her body seemed to unwind all at once, her shoulders loosening, her back once ramrod straight with terror relaxed, and the fear that had been in her eyes fading as his light of hope filled her. Once she looked more like the young blonde he had come to know than a candidate for a psyche ward, he smiled and let his blazing light fade.

 

“How?” Annalyse asked again, her eyes blinking as she tilted her head to the side.

 

“A really long story,” Xander said in reply. “Short version, an idiot risked unbalancing a cosmic entity and she needed someone to fix the problem.”

 

This only served to further confuse Annalyse until the dots connected inside her mind. Xander knew the instant it did when her eyes opened wide in shock. “You mean... you, your ring; it's not from my multi-verse? It's from here?” Annalyse's mouth fell open slightly in surprise before she shook her head. “You started your own Lantern Corps,” she said authoritatively this time. “One native to this multi-verse. But what in the hell would cause something powerful enough to pass itself off as a cosmic entity to do that?”

 

Xander chuckled as he reached into the pocket dimension his power battery was kept and where he had temporarily confined the orange power ring. “Emotion, that is what I named her, wasn't passing herself off as anything. She is the cosmic representation of emotion in this multi-verse. As for what forced her to recruit me as a Lantern,” he said as he drew his hand out of the pocket dimension then opened it. Sitting in his open hand was the dormant orange ring.

 

“Fuck.”

 

Xander couldn't have said it any better himself as he put the ring back in the pocket dimension. “Yeah, pretty much. Someone made that with magic and it latched onto her. She was afraid that someone feeding off of and feeding the multiverse's greed could result in some really bad things. I had to stop the bearer and now have to contain the ring.”

 

Annalyse shook her head as she bit her lip. Her eyes looked down before coming back up to Xander's. “Why not just destroy it? I know it is damn hard to do, but it isn't impossible. The Green Lantern's always found containment... _problematic_ ,” she said.

 

Xander shrugged as he answered, “I can't say I don't disagree, but Emotion warned me against doing that. She didn't get specific, but much badness would ensue was the vibe I got from her. If that one ring really is tapping into all of the greed in this multi-verse...”

 

“Then destroying it would likely release an equivalent amount of energy into this one universe possibly shattering the dimensional barriers,” Annalyse finished.

 

Xander gave a lopsided smile and again shrugged. “I was going to just say we could blow up the planet, but that sounds a bit more of the bad.”

 

“So containment. But how does she expect you to do that being a Blue Lantern?” Annalyse asked before her eyes shot open wide. “Wait, wait! That was you earlier, wasn't it? The hope I could feel when I started thinking... when I thought the worst. But how? That doesn't make any sense! There isn't a Green Lantern here to empower the Blue Light of Hope with the will it needs to power the blue rings!”

 

It was Xander's turn to look at Annalyse like she had just described rocket surgery to him. “Huh?”

 

“Lantern Harris, I believe Star Sapphire Winters is referring to a phenomenon she is familiar with in her home multi-verse,” Xander's ring decided to helpfully point out. “According to the files I have access to the Blue Lanterns of Multiverse 43 are reliant upon the presence of a member of that multiverse's Green Lantern Corps in order to access their full potential. As the only two native Lantern's of Multiverse 213 are currently yourself and Orange Lantern Mears, such a limitation was deemed too restrictive.”

 

“Okay, that makes sense,” Annalyse said nodding. “I mean, this is a different multi-verse, the rules don't have to be the same. And look at that, your ring is actually helpful. Why is that I wonder.”

 

Xander shrugged, “I don't know. I didn't exactly get an instruction manual with this thing,” he told her. “Emotion actually told me to go to you for training since you are the only experienced Lantern around.”

 

Xander's ring cut in once more sounding smugly imperious as it announced, "I am currently in tutorial mode which will continue until he begins his training with Star Sapphire Winters."

 

Annalyse turned scarlet and looked away from Xander for a few minutes before sucking in a breath and blowing it out. “About that, Xander, I owe you...,”

 

“Absolutely nothing,” he said, holding up his hand. “Dumb shit on both sides.”

 

Annalyse nodded and gave him a smile before schooling her features into a more serious expression. “The Corps all have their own methods but I never was trained by the Star Sapphires. Between Batman and Guy, one of the Green Lanterns for Earth, I got some pretty serious training, though. If I train you, I'm going to train you the same way they trained me."

 

Xander nodded his agreement then snapped off a salute with a grin, “Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!”

 

Annalyse smiled, smacking Xander upside the back of his head as she floated past him. “Okay, then follow me and keep up. Lesson one starts tonight.” With that her form flared violet and she rocketed forward.

 

Xander grinned, his own blue aura flaming to life around him as he sped off through the night sky following her.

 

Annalyse led him down into the downtown proper of Sunnydale. Even growing up in Sunnydale, Xander still couldn't help the disbelief at the number of buildings standing at 10 or more stories in the small city. The downtown area of Sunnydale resembled that of any major city on the west coast in so many ways that he didn't know how out of towners didn't realize something wasn't quite right.

 

'Just one more thing to chalk up to Sunnydale Syndrome,' he realized as Annalyse led him through the city.

 

The chase the Star Sapphire was leading him on quickly became almost a challenge, each of them getting closer and closer to the buildings as they flew through the town. Annalyse kept gaining speed forcing him to match her to keep up, their turns growing more extreme as they whipped between the buildings at speeds that would have had fighter pilots begging to slow down. More than once, he could almost feel his aura scraping against the glass of the tall free standing buildings leaving him to wonder how they hadn't caused either a sonic boom or destroyed the very buildings they were racing between. Only his familiarity with magic allowed him to push the thoughts out of his mind as he focused on keeping up with his new mentor.

 

After nearly fifteen minutes of hair raising flight through and around downtown, Annalyse veered off and shot away from the heavily developed center of the city and away towards the run down warehouse district. She dropped down in front of one of the warehouses Xander knew Buffy often found leeches using as their daytime hideaway. He only raised an eyebrow as he touched down next to her in front of her.

 

“Not to sound whiney, but I took down an Orange Lantern today. I doubt some vamps are going to be much of a challenge,” he told her.

 

Annalyse nodded in agreement once. When the slow smile started to slide across her lips Xander couldn't help but shudder and wonder what was causing it, “Yes, but tell me, how did you defeat that Lantern, Xander? I'm guessing you didn't wear him down. If that ring can cause the kind of damage we think it can if it's broke, I'll bet it has the same charge potential that the one back home has. So how did you do it?”

 

Xander could almost feel the trap he was being asked to walk into but wasn't exactly sure where it was going until after he said, “I cut his hand off.” No sooner did the words leave his mouth, it snapped shut with an audible click.

 

“Good strategy,” she told him approvingly. “I've seen it used myself in extreme cases back home. Usually when it is a baseline up against a ring user but still, good strategy.” Annalyse started to walk around him, one finger tapping against her chin. “The ring is a weapon,” she told him. “Powerful, sure, but still a weapon no different than a gun. So what are you going to do if some vampire gets smart and cuts your hand off?”

 

Xander felt his eyes widen at the thought and shifted uncomfortably, “Run really fast in the other direction,” he said trying to make it sound like a joke.

 

“And if, say, Willow's life depended on you when it happened? What would you do?” She pressed him.

 

“I...,” Xander started then stopped. The thought of Willow being in danger and being helpless to do anything about it left him paralyzed. He couldn't help but admit to himself that part of the reason he had accepted Emotion's bargain was the power it would give him. He'd envisioned himself as never being helpless again. Now Annalyse was asking him to do exactly that. To say it made him uncomfortable was an understatement.

 

After a moment of silence, Annalyse spoke again, “There are four vampires in this warehouse. I want you to go in there and dust all four of them without using your ring,” she told him as she crossed her arms in front of her.

 

Xander shot her an incredulous glare as he shouted, “You want me to do what? I'd get eaten alive!”

 

Annalyse stared at him for several seconds, her glare burning into him. At first he felt like backing down before he straightened his back and returned her glare. Finally, a smile appeared on her face and Annalyse nodded. The action left Xander once again whiplashing into the winds of confusion.

 

“Good, you aren't suicidal,” Annalyse said by way of explanation.

 

It was Xander's turn to feel anger wage a war to escape from him as he glared at the petite blonde. 'When did she start looking so much like Buffy,' he wondered even as he yelled at her. “Of course I'm not suicidal! What in the hell gave you the idea I was?”

 

Annalyse stepped away from him, closing her eyes as she started to pace. Xander could tell she was conflicted and trying to chose her words carefully. Since he didn't want a repeat of the hospital he waited quietly, letting her figure out how to say what she meant.

 

“What you did with that vampire Kakistos had powered up? It was brave. Hell, it took some serious balls to pull off. Don't think I, or any of us, don't realize that, Xander,” she said in a small voice. “You saved Giles' life that day. Seriously, the old man could have died.” Annalyse seemed to find her confidence again as her voice rose back to a more normal speaking volume as she looked him in the eyes, “It was also stupid.”

 

Xander opened his mouth to protest, to defend his actions and denounce her supposed attempt to apologize earlier when she cut him off. “It was, Xander. You know how sensitive my hearing is. All you had to do was shout my name and I would have been there. I can out race a member of the Lantern Corps in the air. I can't keep that speed up for long, but I could have done it long enough to reach you easily. You were disarmed for all intents and purposes the minute he stepped out into the sun and didn't burn. You weren't trained to fight him in hand to hand,” she told him. “It was brave, Xander, but it was also stupid,” She repeated.

 

Xander could hear the pleading in her voice for him to understand. Looking back on it, he could sort of see her point. He could have screamed and odds were in favor of her getting there before the vampire had gotten to him or Giles. On the other hand, odds never seemed to favor the Scoobies. “I was there,” he started slowly. “Not you, not Willow, not Buffy. Me. I just... Okay, you are right. I haven't been trained to fight vampires hand to hand. Not like Buffy and Faith do. Not like you do. Hell, even Willow could kick my ass these days,” he said with a bit of a chuckle. “But it was me there, and all I could think about was saving Giles. Protecting him long enough that you or someone could get there if I couldn't take that leech out.”

 

Annalyse nodded and Xander could see the acceptance and understanding in her. She smiled and walked back over to him, clapping him on the shoulder, “And that took balls, Xander. Don't let any of us make you think otherwise. And all of us know it, too. But it was a situation that shouldn't have happened, to begin with,” she said. As Xander opened his mouth to again protest she put one hand over his lips and shook her head. “I'm not saying you shouldn't have been there. I'm saying you should have been trained. We can point fingers all day as to why you weren't. Willow and Buffy think you just didn't realize when Giles was offering to train you and I'll bet you thought they weren't training you on purpose, right?”

 

Xander nodded once with Annalyse's hand still on his mouth stopping him from speaking. She returned the nod still smiling, “Yeah, serious communication screw ups everywhere we turn. But that ends tonight. When I'm done with you, you won't have to worry about a vamp or two even without your ring, you'll be able to stand proud and know you will be able to help protect your friends and your city. But I want something in return,” she told him as she finally lifted her hand from his mouth.

 

“What?” Xander asked curiously.

 

“A promise, that you never ever forget what you mean to those girls. That you won't charge in blindly putting yourself at risk in some fool attempt to prove you can. That you use what I teach you not only to save others but to save yourself. And if the time comes that you do have to make the sacrifice play, that you've looked at every possible option there is first before doing it. No more Charge of the Light Brigade, hoping things will work out.”

 

Annalyse's tone was solemn and Xander could feel the pressure in the air. It wasn't heavy or oppressive but he couldn't call it light either. It simply was. It was almost as if the very universe had turned its gaze upon the two Lanterns to witness a solemn oath. For Xander, it only added to the gravity of what Annalyse was saying; and to the feeling of joy that blossomed inside his chest. She didn't say the exact words but the meaning was clear. His girls - he had no doubt that Faith and Annalyse now counted among them - cared about him. They wanted him around for as long as they could keep him. Yes, he needed to see them, but not to chastise or apologize. He simply needed to see them, hug them, and know they too were all right.

 

“Okay,” he finally said with a nod and serious eyes. He managed to hold the expression for half a beat before smirking, “But I don't know about this whole no more hoping thing. I mean, I am a Blue Lantern, hope is kinda my thing now.”

 

Annalyse tried to look fierce and glare at him and Xander just kept smirking at her until she finally broke. It was quiet at first, almost like an echo of an echo. Then the petite blonde alien snorted and started to giggle. “Damn you! Trust a Blue Lantern to make a blind charge sound like a solemn duty.”

 

Xander simply wrapped his arms around the laughing girl and hugged her, laughing along with her.

 

(***)

 

Xander had left Annalyse shortly after she had calmed from the laughing fit Xander had caused her. Promises of pain and torture, better known as PT, had followed him into the air. She would get a hold of him in the morning to start scheduling their training sessions. She had made perfectly clear that while he might need practice working with his ring, he needed training on not relying on it. So the first thing she was going to do was make sure he was physically and mentally ready to be this world's Blue Lantern.

 

Annalyse hadn't forgotten about the orange ring either. The two had talked for a short time then compared possible solutions in the respective databases of their rings. Surprisingly enough, Xander's had many more options available than Annalyse's. It seemed the Star Sapphires had one solution only for those that chose to stand against the Light of Love; conversion. Their rings could encase other Corps rings, even its members, in crystal that would slowly fill them with the Violet Light, converting them to the cause of the Star Sapphires.

 

While both of them could see the potential use in ridding the universe of the dangerous rings of the Yellow Corps – it seemed that the Red rings were immune to the process – and potentially could be used on the orange ring they both agreed it was too much of a risk. Emotion had said she had been unbalanced by the orange ring existing by itself with nothing to counteract it. As far as they understood, it didn't even need a wielder to cause such an influence on her. Simply converting it to a violet ring would likely cause a similar imbalance to occur with no counter to Xander's blue ring.

 

In the end, they had decided to wait and talk to the others and find out what could be done. While Annalyse didn't know that Buffy had made her weapons and equipment herself, he knew that the time was fast approaching that the truth had to come out. Between both Faith and Annalyse proving themselves under fire and discovering he was now beholden to following Faith's call when it came to matters supernatural, the status quo had to change. With any luck, Buffy and Willow would be able to make heads and tails of some of the designs his ring had for containment units and the matter would quickly be put to rest.

 

Now he was headed to Giles. Another round of phone calls had yielded no responses and it was already creeping up on 11pm. Not all together late for the Scoobies in general, but late enough considering he had been incommunicado with them for nearly a week now. That he hadn't been able to get a hold of anyone was starting to scare him.

 

As Giles apartment came into view he could tell that someone was there, multiple someone’s most likely since both Giles' and Cordelia's cars were parked outside and lights were on inside. Landing he let his armor fade away to reveal his street clothes and jogged up to Giles' private entrance to knock on the door.

 

He didn't have to wait long before the door opened to reveal Cordelia who promptly slapped him. “Damn it, Xander Harris! How dare you not call me the minute you got out of that hospital! I've been worried sick about you!”

 

Xander felt his hand go to the cheek he had been slapped on, his mouth falling open before he responded with indignation, “You could have called me Cordelia, or visited me in the hospital.”

 

SLAP!

 

Xander felt his other cheek stinging. He could see Cordelia holding back tears as she glared at him, “I did go to the hospital you dumb ass. You were out cold from the pain medication you were on. The second time they told me you had checked out against medical advice; though how they let you do that as a minor is beyond idiocy. I even went to your house and had to listen to that excuse for a father of yours ask me how much I charged per hour!”

 

Xander swallowed down his initial anger thinking back to his conversation with Annalyse and simply enfolded his girlfriend in his arms, kissing her gently on her forehead. “I'm sorry, Cor. I tried calling you earlier this evening but your phone just went to voice mail.”

 

He could feel her nod against his shoulder before she simply settled against him, her own arms wrapping around his waist. They stood there in the open door for several minutes, holding one another and giving comfort. Finally, they broke apart and Xander smiled at her.

 

SLAP!!

 

“And I heard about what you did with that vampire! Don't you dare ever do something so incredibly stupid again! Do you know how hard it was to train you? I don't have time to be training a new boyfriend, Xander Harris! No more death wishes!”

 

Xander could only chuckle and shake his head. He quickly ducked in to press a kiss against her lips then gave her a bright lop sided grin. “No more death wishes, Cor, I promise. Now can we go inside or were you leaving?”

 

Cordelia seemed to suddenly remember something, her expression darkening so rapidly that Xander wondered if he was in for another slap. Cordelia's dark eyes met his and the pressure was back. This time though it was dark and heavy like all the worlds’ troubles had just fallen upon him at once. In the eyes of the woman he had fallen in lust, if not yet love, with he could see pain and utter disbelief. He never wanted to see that in her eyes again and wanted to take it away like he had done for Annalyse. He didn't, though, wanting to explain things about the ring before doing anything that might surprise his justifiably paranoid demon hunting friends.

 

“You better come in, Xander. And plan to stay. You won't want to, not when you see... you won't want to stay, but plan on it. If we can't go out neither can you,” she told him as she took his hand and pulled him inside the apartment.

 

Worry was completely replaced by fear when he found out the source of Cordelia's morbid and confusing statement. On the couch a sweat soaked, obviously feverish Buffy Summers lay shivering despite the thick blanket she was wrapped up in. Willow was kneeling next to her holding an ice pack to the blonde’s forehead while Giles sat in his usual chair, a glass of dark amber liquid in one hand as he looked on in concern.

 

“What happened?” Xander found himself asking as he took in the scene before him.

 

Willow looked over her shoulder to see Xander. Her eyes flicked to his hand that should have still been in a cast and curiosity shone in her eyes for a moment before they darted back up to meet his.

 

“Remember when she told you her tech was addictive?” Willow asked. When Xander nodded she continued her explanation, “This is what she meant. This is what happens when the person using it, can't.”

 

“But,” Xander started then stopped at a loss for words. “But why would she stop using it if she knew...,” he said, trailing off as realization set in. “She didn't, someone else cut her off from it? A vamp? Some demon?”

 

“No,” Giles said his eyes filled with the image of the girl he had trained as a Slayer for the past two years the only thing filling his eyes. “Not a demon or a vampire. It wasn't done in a fight. Or not one any of us are used to fighting, anyways.”

 

“Then, what did it, Giles? Who did it and when are we going to kick their ass for doing this to Buffy?” Xander demanded to know as he watched one of his two best friends tremble with sickness and fever.

 

“We can do nothing, Xander. Nothing more than is already being done,” Giles said, never taking his eyes off of Buffy.

 

“What? You're just going to let... who the hell did this to her Giles? I'll go kick their ass myself if you won't do it!”

 

Giles finally looked at Xander and he immediately wished the Watcher hadn't. That pressure he had felt burned away at the blind rage he could see in the man's eyes. Every thought of ever crossing him, teasing him, or tormenting the older man fled before that gaze. In that instant, Xander knew he had never been in danger of the red ring choosing him. Not when there was someone capable of such fury in their midst like Rupert Giles.

 

“Her mother, Xander,” Giles said as his gaze burned into Xander's eyes. "Joyce Summers, her own mother, did this too her.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Be Continued in Sunnydale Mutations 3: Text and Tech


End file.
